Court Orders Fresh APC Primaries in 10 Plateau Wards

Jos — The Federal High Court sitting in Jos on Friday ordered the All Progressives Congress, APC, to conduct fresh primary elections in 10 wards of Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency over alleged irregularities in the party’s primary.

Justice Dorcas Agishi, who delivered the judgment in a suit instituted by Hon. Esther Bitrus Danboyi against Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, also awarded N500,000 cost against each of the three defendants.

The order followed Danboyi’s challenge to the APC primary election which produced Bagos as the party’s candidate for the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Counsel to Danboyi, Ritji Timothy Yilwatda, Esq, of Gyang Zi, SAN & Co, told journalists after the judgment that the planting had challenged the primary on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with relevant provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the APC guidelines governing the conduct of party primaries.

He said the plaintiff also complained that she was not accorded fair hearing after submitting petitions to the APC and its Primary Election Appeal Committee over the disputed primary.

According to him, the court found that the required elections were not conducted in the wards challenged by the plaintiff and consequently ordered that elections be conducted within 30 days.

“The court found that the required elections had not been conducted in the wards challenged by the plaintiff and consequently ordered that the elections be conducted within 30 days”, Yilwatda said.

He listed the affected wards to include Du, Shen, Zawan ‘B’, Fobur ‘A’, Fobur ‘B’, Jarawan Kogi, Maijuju/ Doss, Federe, Shere East and Shere West.

The counsel said the court dismissed the preliminary objections and counter-affidavits filed by the defendants, describing the objections as lacking merit.

He said the court awarded a total of N1.5 million in costs, comprising N500,000 against each of Bagos, the APC and INEC, payable to the plaintiff.

“The court also dismissed the preliminary objections and counter-affidavits filed by the defendants, describing the objections as lacking merit,” he said.

“The court awarded a total of N1.5 million in costs, comprising N500,000 against each of Bagos, the APC and INEC, payable to the plaintiff”, Yilwatda added.

The suit, filed as FHC/J/CS/42/2026, followed the APC primary in which Bagos was declared winner of the contest for the party’s ticket.

Danboyi had challenged the validity of the primary, asking the court to, among other reliefs, set aside the result and compel the APC to conduct and conclude elections in wards where she alleged that the exercise did not take place.

The judgement comes against the backdrop of earlier complaints by Danboyi over the conduct of the APC primary, in which she had called for fresh elections in wards where she alleged irregularities.

The court has now ordered the affected elections to be conducted within the stipulated 30-day period.

-9News Nigeria.