APC reverses Plateau Reps election results, declares Gagdi winner

The All Progressives Congress has reversed the outcome of its Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam House of Representatives primary election in Plateau State, declaring incumbent lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi the winner and disowning an earlier result naming John Tongshinen the victor.

The reversal was announced on Monday at the APC state Secretariat in Jos by the Chairman of the APC Plateau State Primaries Electoral Committee, Stella Okotete, who said the first declaration was unauthorised.

Okotete dismissed earlier results announced in the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam House of Representatives primary election, describing them as unauthorised.

The committee chairman also declared Yusuf Gagdi the winner of the primary election.

She clarified that only the officially appointed returning officer had the mandate to announce results.

Only the officially appointed returning officer, Nandom Kura, has the constitutional authority to declare the results of the primary election,” Okotete stated

She stressed, “That any prior announcements made outside this mandate were invalid and should be disregarded.”

Following that clarification, Kura “officially declared Yusuf Gagdi as the winner of the APC primary election for the PKK federal constituency, held on Saturday.”

Our Correspondent reports that the earlier result, announced on Sunday at the constituency headquarters in Pankshin by one Monday Daspan, had declared Tongshinen the winner with 29,968 votes to Gagdi’s 5,849 votes.

“Declaring the result at the constituency headquarters in Pankshin on Sunday, the party returning officer, Monday Daspan, said Dr John Tongshinen scored 29,968 votes, while polled 5,849 votes,” the initial announcement stated.

“By the powers conferred on me as the chairman of this committee, I hereby declare Dr John Tongshinen as the winner of the primaries for Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency based on the records available to me,” Daspan said. He added that “the primaries were observed by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alongside security personnel.”

Our Correspondent reports that Gagdi, who is currently the Chairman of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Navy, had rejected the earlier declaration.

He insisted the process was conducted across all 36 wards and backed it with evidence.

Addressing journalists at his residence in Jos on Monday after he was declared the authentic winner of the election, Gagdi insisted that the process was duly conducted across all 36 electoral wards, with evidence including accreditation records, videos, and photographs to support the credibility of the exercise.

He dismissed claims of multiple results, stating he was “only aware of two announcements, one of which has now been confirmed as illegitimate.”

Gagdi also alleged that the earlier declaration attributed to “Daspan Ishaya was fraudulent, noting that the individual was not appointed by the electoral committee and therefore lacked the authority to announce results.”

“The constitution and guidelines of the party clearly vest the power to appoint election officials in the electoral committee,” he said. “Any declaration outside that authority is null and void.”

He questioned the credibility of the unauthorised announcement, “alleging inconsistencies in the individual’s role during the election process.”

The new declaration sparked celebrations in parts of the constituency. “Our Correspondent reports that Jubilation broke out immediately in some parts of Kanam and Pankshin immediately after the recent results were announced.”

The PKK seat is one of the closely watched contests in Plateau ahead of the 2027 general elections.