The All Progressives Congress has overturned the outcome of its Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency primary election in Plateau State, declaring the incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, as the winner.
The party also rejected an earlier declaration that named John Tongshinen as the winner of the exercise.
The reversal was announced on Monday at the APC State Secretariat in Jos by the Chairman of the Plateau State Primaries Electoral Committee, Stella Okotete, who described the initial result as unauthorised and invalid.
Okotete stated that only the duly appointed returning officer, Nandom Kura, had the constitutional authority to announce the outcome of the primary election.
“Any prior announcements made outside this mandate are invalid and should be disregarded,” she said.
Following the clarification, Kura formally declared Gagdi winner of the APC primary election for the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency conducted on Saturday.
The development came a day after an earlier result announced in Pankshin by one Monday Daspan declared Tongshinen winner with 29,968 votes, while Gagdi polled 5,849 votes.
Daspan had claimed to be acting on behalf of the electoral committee and said the exercise was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and security personnel.
However, Gagdi rejected the declaration, insisting the primary election was properly conducted across all 36 wards in the constituency.
Speaking with journalists in Jos on Monday after being confirmed as winner, the lawmaker said the process was backed by accreditation records, photographs and video evidence.
He dismissed reports of multiple results, saying he was only aware of two announcements, one of which had now been discredited by the party.
Gagdi further alleged that the earlier declaration was fraudulent, arguing that Daspan was not appointed by the electoral committee and therefore lacked the authority to announce the results.
“The constitution and guidelines of the party clearly vest the power to appoint election officials in the electoral committee. Any declaration outside that authority is null and void,” he said.
The latest declaration triggered celebrations in parts of Kanam and Pankshin shortly after the announcement.
The Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency contest is considered one of the key APC races in Plateau State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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