The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has conducted peaceful House of Representatives primary elections across the 25 local government areas, ahead of the 2027 general elections, with some constituencies adopting consensus candidates.
The primaries, held on Saturday, May 16, witnessed peaceful voting in several areas, although there were allegations of irregularities and candidate imposition in some constituencies.
In Chanchaga Local Government Area, three aspirants initially contested for the party’s ticket for the House of Representatives seat. However, the incumbent lawmaker, Abubakar Audu Buba, stepped down from the race.
Announcing the results of the primary election, the Returning Officer of Chanchaga, Abdulmumin Attahiru, declared Adamu Abubakar winner of the exercise after polling 30,650 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nma Ahmad, who secured 1,271 votes.
Another aspirant, Shuaibu Usman Abubakar Mai Rago, polled 311 votes in the election conducted across the 11 wards of the constituency.
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Following the announcement, Mai Rago raised concerns over the conduct of the primary, alleging bias and irregularities in the process. He called on party officials to address the issues and ensure fairness within the party.
Despite the complaints, party supporters in the constituency described the exercise as peaceful and commended efforts aimed at promoting unity within the party.
In the Bosso/Paikoro Federal Constituency, six aspirants contested for the APC ticket, while supporters and party members awaited the final outcome from the party’s state secretariat at the time of filing this report.
Although the exercise was largely peaceful in many parts of the state, some wards experienced delays in the commencement of voting due to large crowds of party supporters who gathered at polling centres to observe the process.
The massive turnout and logistical challenges reportedly affected the early start of the exercise in some locations.
Security personnel and party officials however, maintained order throughout the primaries.
In the Gurara/Tafa/Suleja Federal Constituency, the primary election could not hold following allegations of candidate imposition involving the incumbent member representing the area.
Aggrieved party members were said to have protested against the development.
Similarly, reports from the Shiroro Federal Constituency indicated that the election was not conducted due to disagreements among party members over alleged imposition of candidates.
Meanwhile, in the Mokwa/Lavun/Edati Federal Constituency, former Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Adamu Usman, emerged as the consensus candidate of the party.
While many APC members praised the peaceful conduct of the primaries across most parts of the state, some aggrieved aspirants and supporters accused party officials of manipulating the process and called for transparency in the conduct of future exercises.
The primaries form part of the APC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections as aspirants seek the party’s mandate to contest elective positions across Niger State.
