Jos East/Jos South APC primaries: Female aspirant alleges malpractice, called for rerun
Yakubu Busari
An aspirant for the Jos South/Jos East Federal House of Representatives ticket, Hon. Esther Bitrus Danboyi, has alleged widespread malpractice in the just-concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries as she called for the cancellation of results in three wards and a rerun in seven others.
Speaking to journalists , Mrs Danboyi, who contested against Hon. Dachung Bagos of Vwang District, said that the exercise was neither free nor fair that violated an existing zoning arrangement.
She stated that the seat had been zoned to Gyel District, where she hailed from. According to her, 13 aspirants participated from Gyel District pre-primaries were she won with the backing of the traditional ruler, elders, women, and youth in Gyel A and B.
Danboyi also claimed victory in parts of Zawan District and in Du District, specifically Shen Federal Ward and Du A, describing her votes there as “massively uncountable.”
However, she alleged that when it appeared she was leading across Jos South Local Government Area, agents loyal to her opponent disrupted the process in Vwang District.
“They attacked her agents, snatched the result sheets, manipulated figures, forged her agent’s signature, and submitted fake results,” she said.
Adding that a similar pattern occurred in Zawan(B) and another area, where agents were allegedly beaten and materials taken.
The aspirant described the disruption as targeted and raised concerns about gender representation, citing the 35% affirmation principle for women.
She also referenced rumors that Bagos was the “government candidate,” arguing that such a perception can undermines candidates from less privileged backgrounds.
Danboyi is demanding three actions from the party and state leadership:
1. *Cancellation* of results in the three federal wards where she alleges manipulation and snatching of materials.
2. *A rerun* in the seven federal wards where she says the election was not free and fair, noting that only three wards conducted a proper exercise.
3. *Intervention* from the Governor of Plateau State and the APC national leadership to “do justice” and review the matter “with the eyes of mercy.”
She warned that failure to address her complaints could lead her supporters to defect to another party, which she said would complicate efforts to unite Jos South/Jos East ahead of the general elections.
Danboyi maintains that she won the zoned seat in Gyel District and was leading as the overall before results in three wards were allegedly hijacked.
The APC and Hon. Dachung Bagos had not issued an official response to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
