Confusion and tension gripped the African Democratic Congress in Jigawa State on Wednesday as allegations of irregularities, violence and malpractice forced officials to suspend the collation of primaries for the State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, governorship and presidential tickets 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, announced the suspension to journalists at the Tashir Guests Palace in Dutse, the venue of the collation exercise, saying 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 said 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 troubled exercise began last Monday across the 27 local government areas of the state but quickly became mired in controversy, with reports of intimidation, factional disputes, cancellation of results and disruption of voting emerging from several councils as the process unfolded.
For more than 48 hours, no winners were declared by the ADC electoral committee, heightening anxiety among party supporters, stalwarts, officials and delegates.
The PUNCH learnt that the genesis 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.
An election observer, Mr. Dayyabu Musa, who spoke exclusively with the PUNCH, said “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 over 48 hours at the collation venue, described the atmosphere as charged, with security operatives drafted to maintain order amid growing anxiety.
Despite the setbacks, Ahmed said the collation would resume after the Eid-el-Kabir prayers, with party officials expected to reconvene at the same venue by 2pm to continue the process and possibly declare a winner.
He commended party members, security personnel and electoral officials for their cooperation throughout the exercise.
“We appreciate the understanding and support of everyone involved. God bless you all,” he added.
The development comes after the ADC conducted its primary elections across the country last Saturday to pick candidates for various positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The crisis in the ADC’s Jigawa State primaries is a microcosm of the broader challenges that have dogged Nigeria’s opposition parties as they attempt to build credible structures capable of challenging the dominant APC and PDP ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Internal democracy has historically been one of the weakest links in Nigerian party politics, with primaries frequently descending into chaos, litigation and open conflict that leave parties weakened and divided at the very moment they need to be consolidating their strength.
