The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jigawa State was thrown into confusion on Wednesday, as allegations of irregularities, violence, and malpractice forced officials to postpone the primary elections for the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship, and presidential seats indefinitely.
The Chief Returning Officer, retired Deputy Inspector General of Police Zaki Ahmed, who was sent from the ADC national headquarters to oversee the exercise, informed journalists at the Tashir Guests Palace in Dutse, where the collation exercise was taking place, that unresolved complaints and irregularities made it impossible to continue.
“Results had been received from 19 out of the 27 local government areas, while officials were still awaiting submissions from Auyo, Roni, and Kazaure councils,” he disclosed.
Ahmed stated that the exercise was marred by serious infractions in several areas.
“There were reports of irregularities and malpractice in some local governments, while Gwaram witnessed threats of violence capable of disrupting the process completely,” he said.
“In Guri Local Government, there was no election at all due to conflict among factional leaders of the party. Because of these developments, we have decided to suspend the collation exercise,” he stated.
The difficult exercise began last Monday across the state’s 27 local government regions but rapidly became entangled in controversy, with some councils reporting intimidation, factional clashes, result cancellations, and vote disruptions as the process proceeded.
The ADC election committee did not proclaim any winners for more than 48 hours, which increased worry among party fans, stalwarts, officials, and delegates.
Chronicle NG gathered that the beginning of the crisis was the keenly contested governorship primary between Hon. Adamu Jumbo and Senator Sabo Nakudu, who recently defected to the ADC from the ruling APC with hundreds of supporters across the state.
Mr. Dayyabu Musa, an election observer, stated that “the suspension followed days of tension and political horse-trading within the party, as rival camps accused one another of attempts to manipulate delegates.”
Musa, who said he spent more than 48 hours at the collation site, described the mood as heated, with security personnel deployed to keep order despite rising tension.
Despite the failures, Ahmed stated that the collation would resume after Eid-el-Kabir prayers, with party officials scheduled to gather at the same location by 2 p.m. to continue the process and maybe declare a winner.
He praised party members, security personnel, and election officials for their cooperation throughout the process.
“We appreciate the understanding and support of everyone involved. God bless you all,” he added.
The move comes after the ADC held primary elections around the country on Saturday to select candidates for various positions ahead of the 2027 general election.
The problem at the ADC’s Jigawa State primaries is a microcosm of the larger issues confronting Nigeria’s opposition parties as they seek to build credible institutions capable of challenging the dominant APC and PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
