ADC Cancels Jigawa Primaries Collation Due to Violence and Problems

Confusion filled the African Democratic Congress in Jigawa State on Wednesday. Allegations of problems, violence, and wrong practices led to officials suspending the collation of primaries for 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, came from the ADC national headquarters to supervise the event. He announced the suspension to journalists at Tashir Guests Palace in Dutse, where the collation was taking place, saying unresolved issues 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 said.

Ahmed shared that the process faced serious problems in many areas. "There were reports of irregularities and malpractice in some local governments, while Gwaram saw threats of violence that could disrupt the process completely," he added.

"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 said.

The troubled process started last Monday across the 27 local government areas in the state but quickly turned controversial. Reports of intimidation, factional disputes, cancellation of results, and disruption of voting emerged from several councils.

For more than 48 hours, the ADC electoral committee did not declare any winners, raising anxiety among party supporters, officials, and delegates.

The PUNCH learned that the crisis began from the closely contested governorship primary between Hon. Adamu Jumbo and Senator Sabo Nakudu. Nakudu recently left the ruling APC to join the ADC with many supporters across the state.

An election observer, Mr. Dayyabu Musa, spoke exclusively with the PUNCH. He 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 spent over 48 hours at the collation venue, described the atmosphere as tense. Security personnel were brought in to maintain order amid growing anxiety.

Despite the challenges, Ahmed said they would continue the collation after the Eid-el-Kabir prayers. Party officials are expected to meet at the same venue by 2 pm to continue the process and possibly declare a winner.

He thanked party members, security personnel, and electoral officials for their cooperation during the exercise. "We appreciate the understanding and support of everyone involved. God bless you all," he added.

This situation comes after the ADC held its primary elections across the country last Saturday to select candidates for various positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The crisis in the ADC’s Jigawa State primaries reflects the broader challenges facing Nigeria’s opposition parties. They are trying to build strong structures to challenge the dominant APC and PDP before the 2027 elections.

Internal democracy has always been a weak point in Nigerian party politics. Primaries often lead to chaos, lawsuits, and open conflicts that leave parties divided at a time when they need to be coming together.