Some aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State have rejected the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary elections conducted across the state on Monday, alleging widespread irregularities and violations of party guidelines.
The APC had declared Sunday Katung as winner of the Kaduna South senatorial primary, Ramalan Yero for Kaduna North, and Shehu Sani for Kaduna Central.
However, dissatisfied aspirants and their supporters on Tuesday staged a protest in Kaduna metropolis, demanding the cancellation of the primaries across the three senatorial districts.
The protesters marched from Warf Road through the NEPA Roundabout and along Ahmadu Bello Way, carrying placards with different inscriptions condemning the conduct of the exercise.
Among those who led the protest were Yusuf Ikara, an aspirant for Kaduna North Senatorial District, alongside Danjuma Laah and Michael Auta, both aspirants for Kaduna South.
Aggrieved Aspirants Threaten Legal Action
The protesters later addressed journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Press Centre in Kaduna, warning that they would seek legal redress if the party failed to address their grievances.
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Speaking on behalf of the aggrieved aspirants, former Kaduna South senator, Danjuma Laah, accused the APC leadership in the state of abandoning the direct primary system approved by the party’s National Working Committee, NWC.
“The National Working Committee officially approved direct primaries for the exercise, but what was conducted was an unauthorised delegate system,” he said.
‘Party Members Were Denied Voting Rights’
The protesters alleged that ordinary party members were denied the opportunity to vote at the ward level in line with the approved guidelines for direct primaries.
They also claimed that the Kaduna South senatorial primary, which produced Sunday Katung as winner, lacked transparency and proper supervision.
The group alleged that “Senator, Sunday Marshall Katung, was illegally declared winner with over 7,500 votes purportedly cast by delegates despite the absence of proper voting procedures and party officials across the district.”
The aggrieved aspirants further alleged that electoral materials and party officials were not properly deployed to several wards and polling centres during the exercise.
Aspirants Demand Fresh Primaries
Laah maintained that the conduct of the primaries violated Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022 as well as Article 20 of the APC constitution relating to nomination procedures and internal democracy.
He called on the APC National Working Committee, the party’s appeal committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)7, to intervene and order fresh primaries in the affected senatorial districts.
Among other aspirants identified with the protest were former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Zailani, and Mohammed Makkadas.
Warning Ahead Of 2027 Elections
The aggrieved aspirants warned that failure to urgently address the complaints could deepen divisions within the APC ahead of the 2027 general election.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.