Hon. Dickson Y. Chollom, member representing Barkin Ladi Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly and an aspirant seeking reelection under the All Progressives Congress, on Thursday stormed the APC secretariat in Jos alongside his aides and supporters to submit a petition challenging the conduct of the recently held party primaries.
Speaking with journalists after submitting his petition, Chollom alleged that no election was conducted in Barkin Ladi during the APC House of Assembly primaries, despite reports of results being announced.
“I am the member representing the good people of Barkin Ladi. As you are all aware, yesterday was a day slated for the primary elections to the House of Assembly of the All Progressives Congress. I am here to submit my petition. The whole of Barkin Ladi, as it was yesterday, there was no election,” he said.
According to the lawmaker, earlier National Assembly primaries in the area had previously been postponed due to insecurity concerns to avoid endangering residents and party members.
He explained that because of the security situation in Barkin Ladi, party officials had earlier agreed that conducting elections late into the evening would expose people to danger.
“The council chairman and the state party decided that it would be unfair for the people of Barkin Ladi to conduct an election around that time because it would get into the evenings and put our people in harm’s way because of insecurity,” he stated.
Chollom alleged that on the day scheduled for the House of Assembly primary, election materials failed to arrive even as late as 4 p.m., raising suspicions among party members and his campaign team.
“From between 11 and 12, we began to smell a rat. Up to 3 o’clock and 4 o’clock, there were no materials for the elections,” he alleged.
The lawmaker further accused the executive chairman of the local government of interfering in the process by allegedly rejecting officials earlier deployed by the APC state leadership to conduct the election.
According to him, the officials had reportedly been invited by the party chairman and organizing secretary before being turned away at the local government office.
“He came and said he does not recognize them, even though the chairman of the party had called them. He sent them away and locked up the office,” Chollom claimed.
He also alleged that party officials later proposed conducting the election using plain sheets of paper and transmitting the results electronically.
“They said they should go to the field, use plain paper, and when they write the results, they will send an electronic copy which will later be printed,” he said.
Chollom maintained that both the APC leadership and the Independent National Electoral Commission were aware that no valid election took place in Barkin Ladi.
“We have submitted our petition even to INEC. INEC is aware. They have said there was no election conducted. Even the state party chairman in this office knew there was no election conducted,” he stated.
He, however, said he and his supporters remained peaceful and ready for a fresh exercise should the appeal committee order another primary.
“So even if it will be conducted ten times over, we the peaceful people are ready,” he added.
Meanwhile, APC supporters and registered party members from Barkin Ladi who accompanied the lawmaker to the party secretariat were seen holding green leaves and chanting solidarity songs while rejecting the announced results.
The protesters repeatedly chanted that “an election that did not take place cannot have results.”