The All Progressives Congress (APC) has overturned the earlier result of its House of Representatives primary election for the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency in Plateau State, officially declaring the incumbent lawmaker, Yusuf Gagdi, as the authentic winner of the contest.
The controversy began after an earlier announcement declared Dr. John Tongshinen winner of the APC primary election. The initial result, announced at the constituency collation centre in Pankshin, stated that Tongshinen polled 29,968 votes to defeat Gagdi, who reportedly scored 5,849 votes.
However, the APC later rejected that declaration, insisting it was not made by the duly authorised official.
Addressing journalists at the APC secretariat in Jos on Monday, the Chairman of the Plateau State APC Primaries Electoral Committee, Stella Okotete, dismissed the earlier outcome and described it as unauthorised.
According to her, only the officially appointed returning officer had the constitutional authority to announce the final result of the primary election.
Following the clarification, the recognised returning officer, Nandom Kura, officially declared Gagdi as the winner of the APC primary election for the constituency.
Reacting to the development, Gagdi maintained that the primary election was properly conducted across all 36 wards in the constituency. He said there were accreditation records, videos, and photographs to support the credibility of the exercise.
The lawmaker also rejected claims surrounding the earlier declaration, arguing that the individual who announced Tongshinen as winner was not appointed by the party’s electoral committee and therefore lacked the authority to release any result.
The reversal has since sparked mixed reactions among party supporters across the constituency, with celebrations reportedly breaking out in parts of Kanam and Pankshin after the new declaration was made official.
The Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam federal constituency seat is considered one of the major political battlegrounds in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 general elections.