Chaos erupted in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Saturday after angry youths reportedly took away the chairman of the All Progressives Congress in the council area, Bashir Jibrin Jaji, following controversy surrounding the party’s House of Representatives primary election.
The unrest was linked to the APC primary for the Igabi Federal Constituency seat, which pitted Sani Abdulkadir Dakaci against Hussaini Jalo. The exercise quickly became the subject of dispute after several party supporters accused officials of manipulating the process and announcing results without a transparent voting procedure.
According to aggrieved members, there was no proper accreditation, counting of votes, or clear conduct of the primary before Jalo was declared winner.
Tension escalated shortly after the announcement, with frustrated youths confronting party officials at the venue. A viral video circulating online showed the APC chairman being forced into a waiting vehicle amid the commotion created by protesting supporters.
One of the party members, Musa Salihu, told reporters that supporters had assembled peacefully and lined up in anticipation of the exercise, only to be shocked by the sudden declaration of a winner.
“We lined up but nobody counted us. Suddenly, they came out and announced that Jalo had won the election. That is not democracy because no election was conducted,” he said.
Another supporter, Musbahu Idris, claimed party faithful had arrived at the designated collection centre as early as 6 a.m. but were never informed that voting would be conducted elsewhere.
“We were surprised to hear that Jalo had been declared winner. No election took place because we were never told voting would happen at the party office,” he stated.
However, supporters loyal to the APC chairman defended the process and insisted that a valid primary election had taken place.
Haruna Sani, who spoke in support of Jaji, maintained that the allegations were false and accused the angry youths of attacking the party chairman despite efforts to protect him from harm.
“The youths alleged injustice, but that is not the case. We tried to prevent them from attacking the party chairman when they came to the office, but they overpowered us and assaulted him before taking him away in a vehicle,” he explained.
The incident has further highlighted growing tensions within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections, as internal disputes continue to emerge during the APC’s primary processes across different states.
