Tension has erupted in Gassol II State Constituency following controversies surrounding the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly primary election, which was scheduled to hold yesterday but reportedly did not take place across the wards.
Our Correspondent reports:
Several aspirants have raised serious allegations of irregularities and manipulation of the electoral process, describing the exercise as compromised and lacking transparency.
One of the aspirants, Hon. Japheth Ezekiel Dadason, publicly condemned the process, narrating his experience and raising concerns over what he described as a “daylight robbery” of democratic principles.
According to him, he and his agents from all six wards arrived at the PDP Secretariat as early as 8:00 a.m., waiting for the returning officer expected from the state party secretariat. However, hours passed without any official commencement of the election.
Hon. Dadason alleged that around 2:00 p.m., he spotted a fellow contestant, Hon. Yusuf Ibrahim Na’awai, in the company of the returning officer. Suspicious of their movements, he and his team reportedly tracked them to various locations within Mutum Biyu.
He further claimed that the returning officer was lodged at a hotel before being moved to a private residence, where result sheets were allegedly distributed to ward officials without any voting process taking place.
According to his account, while party supporters waited at designated ward centers expecting to vote, results were allegedly being filled in different locations, including a school and remote areas.
Efforts to reach key party officials reportedly yielded little clarity.
Hon. Dadason stated that both the local government PDP chairman and state party officials expressed surprise and claimed they were unaware of the returning officer’s whereabouts at the time.
Security agencies were also contacted. However, reports indicate that officers deployed to monitor the situation could not find any evidence of voting taking place in the constituency.
The situation reportedly escalated later in the day when the returning officer was seen arriving at the party secretariat under unclear circumstances. Tensions heightened as allegations emerged of intimidation involving armed individuals and attempts to disperse supporters.
Hon. Dadason has called on the PDP state leadership to nullify the process and reschedule a fresh primary election that will be free, fair, and transparent.
He also urged his supporters and the general public to disregard any results being circulated, insisting that no legitimate election was conducted in Gassol II.
As of the time of filing this report, the PDP leadership is yet to issue an official statement addressing the allegations.