ADC Cancels Primary Elections in Four Nasarawa LGAs
Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development and chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) electoral committee, has declared the governorship primary elections conducted in four local government areas of Nasarawa State null and void.
The affected LGAs are Nasarawa, Doma, Toto and Karu. Dalung said each area exhibited different forms of electoral malpractice that undermined the credibility of the vote.
In Doma, no actual voting took place, yet written results were submitted; party agents confirmed they never received carbon copies of the tally sheets.
In Toto, electoral officers reported being detained by unknown individuals in Keffi from noon until 10 p.m., after which they presented results obtained under those circumstances.
In Nasarawa LGA, election materials were distributed at a vigilante post, but the presiding officer was barred from proceeding and later handed results he had not verified.
In Karu, violence erupted before the polls opened, the party chairman was attacked, the electoral officer abandoned the process, and an unauthorized person subsequently submitted results.
Dalung emphasized that ADC’s direct primary guidelines require two essential conditions for validity: physical counting of party members and a corresponding result sheet. He stated, “If there is no evidence of physical counting, direct primaries do not take place. The motto of the ADC guidelines states that the electoral committee shall not recognise or accept any election where members of the party were not physically counted.”
He also referenced Section 10 of the Electoral Act, noting that unlawful possession of electoral materials is an offence punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine of ₦10 million.
The committee chairman added that he had already collated results from nine other LGAs and is awaiting returns from the remaining four. A comprehensive report detailing the irregularities will be forwarded to the ADC national secretariat for further action.
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