Supporters and stakeholders of Dr. John Tongshinen Gozhak on Monday staged a peaceful protest in Jos, demanding justice over alleged irregularities in the conduct and outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election for the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency.
The protesters, under the banner of Concerned APC Stakeholders and Youths of Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam, first submitted a petition to the APC Plateau State Secretariat before addressing journalists and embarking on a protest march from the party secretariat toward the Old Airport Roundabout.
The petition, addressed to the APC State Chairman and signed by Dr. Gozhak, challenged developments surrounding the collation and declaration of results from the party’s primary election and called on the party leadership to safeguard internal democracy.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Chairman of the Concerned APC Stakeholders, Hon. Sadiq Kwaltomma, said the petition was submitted on behalf of Dr. Gozhak and other concerned party members who believed the wishes of APC members in the constituency were not being respected.
According to the petition, the APC Plateau State Secretariat had officially communicated the names of designated collation officers to aspirants before the election, and those officers subsequently carried out the collation of results from various voting centres.
The petitioners, however, alleged that after the collation exercise had been completed, the authority of the officers earlier communicated by the state secretariat was allegedly disregarded, while other individuals not originally listed reportedly emerged to perform functions relating to the collation and processing of election results.
The stakeholders argued that the development had raised concerns about the credibility and integrity of the process, insisting that party members participated in the primary election with the understanding that it would be conducted according to established party procedures.
Among other demands, the petition called for an immediate review of issues arising from the primary election, a comprehensive investigation into the alleged displacement of duly appointed collation officers, clarification on the emergence of alternative officials, protection of established party structures, and measures to ensure that the authentic votes cast by party members were protected.
Addressing questions from journalists, Dr. Gozhak dismissed suggestions that the petition was being submitted too late, insisting that the pursuit of justice had no expiration date.
“Our reason for being here is preventive and aimed at preventing what we call the stealing of a public mandate,” he said.
He maintained that he was freely entrusted with the mandate of APC members in the constituency and alleged that an alternative result was being circulated declaring another aspirant as the winner.
“It is not a question of why it is late. This is a continuous agitation, and that’s the beauty of democracy. There is no timeline for demanding justice,” Gozhak stated.
He expressed confidence in the APC leadership, particularly the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, whom he described as capable of ensuring that justice prevails.
Responding to questions on possible next steps should the party fail to act on the petition, Gozhak said all lawful options remained available, including legal action.
“Legal actions are part of the electoral process. I will do everything humanly possible within the jurisdiction of the law to ensure that nobody intimidates anybody and nobody takes away a mandate freely given by the people,” he said.
He also reiterated his commitment to remaining within the APC, dismissing speculation that he or his supporters might defect to another political party.
“We are not going anywhere. APC belongs to all of us, and we will continue to fight until the right thing is done,” he added.
Hon. Kwaltomma added that the results had been declared from the ward, local government and constituency levels in the presence of election officials, security personnel and observers before what he described as unexpected developments emerged.
“We are here in our numbers on behalf of the people and stakeholders of APC in Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam. We are demanding justice and insisting that the will of the people be respected,” he said.
The petition was copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang, and APC National Chairman Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda.
