APC Aspirants for South /Jos East Rep seat Protest exclusion of Hon.Esther Bitrus
Yakubu Busar
One of the Aspirant Mrs Regina Pam under the aegis of Jos South /’Jos East Women in Politics, urged the National Working Committee ,NWC, and the Appeal Committee to be sincere by reviewing the results of primary of All Progressives Congress, APC, .
The group on Thursday protested the exclusion of women from the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidacy list for the Federal House of Representatives seat .
The two female contested that the primary election conducted was marred by irregularities and imposition of one Hon. Musa Bagos as sole annointed candidate . They briefed journalists at Davwel hotel to express disappointment and call for corrective action.
Mrs Pam , described the outcome of the APC primaries as a setback to efforts to increase women’s participation in governance.
She noted that the state previously had only one Federal female lawmaker, Hon. Beni Lar and said the absence of any female candidate in Northern district undermines inclusive governance, gender equity and democratic fairness.
However, Mrs Ruth Daniel warned that without women on the ballots, issues affecting women and children may not receive adequate attention in legislative deliberations and policy formulation.
She appealed to National Chairman, Prof .Nentawe Yilwatda and Governor Caleb Mutfwang intervene and help correct the imbalance, saying it is not too late to demonstrate genuine commitment to gender fairness.
Daniel, praised Governor Mutfwang leadership in the State begging him to reconsider the plight of women into public positions and appealed to him, as a leading figure in APC, to review the primary outcome and create more opportunities for women in leadership.
Meanwhile, Hon. Esther Bitrus campaign organisation rejected the outcome of the APC primary conducted in Jos East ,Jos South House of Representatives saying that Our campaign remains firmly committed to the principles of democracy, justice, equity, fairness, and the rule of law.
speaking on behalf of the campaign group for Hon.Esther Bitrus 4 Rep seat ,Noron Stephen disclosed that ,It is against this background that we find it necessary to bring to the attention of the National Working Committee (NWC), party leadership, and the general public the grieve irregularities and disruptions that characterized significant portions of the primary election process.
According the campaign statement, the available reports, testimonies from voters, ward officials, and evidence gathered from the field reveal that the primary election was marred by widespread irregularities in several wards across Jos South and Jos East Local Government Areas.
In Jos South LGA, elections were only successfully concluded in five wards, which are, Gyel A, Gyel B, Zawan A,Kuru A, and Kuru B while several others experienced serious disruptions that compromised the credibility of the exercise.
Particularly disturbing were reports from Vwang Ward, Turu ward, Giring Ward, Zawan B Ward, and Bukuru Ward, where political thugs allegedly linked to supporters of Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos forcefully disrupted the electoral process, snatched result sheets, intimidated our supporters, voters, agents and interfered with the collation of results in a manner that allegedly altered the true outcome of the exercise.
Similarly, in Du District, especially Du and Shen Wards, where voting was progressing peacefully and where people had freely begun expressing their preferences, the electoral process was reportedly disrupted by the same group of individuals.
she explained that, these actions prevented peoples from exercising their constitutional and democratic rights and undermined the credibility of the election.
Such actions represent a direct assault on democracy, party discipline, and the collective will of party members,She said.
In the interest of justice, fairness, party unity, and democratic integrity, we respectfully call on the National Working Committee to:
Immediately institute a comprehensive investigation into all reported irregularities and acts of electoral misconduct.
Review all ward reports, people’s testimonies, and available evidence from affected areas.
Investigate allegations relating to the snatching, alteration, and manipulation of result sheets.
Identify and sanction all individuals responsible for disrupting the electoral process.
Protect and uphold the votes of people who participated freely and lawfully.
Declare null and void any results arising from wards where elections were manipulated or not conducted.
Order fresh and credible elections in all affected wards where people were denied the opportunity to vote.
Ensure that the final outcome reflects the genuine mandate freely given by party people.
