Hoodlums Unleash Chaos on APC Nomination Process in Jos South Local Government Area

Saturday evening saw chaos unfold at the All Progressives Congress direct primary for the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, as suspected thugs stormed the RCM Primary School in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, disrupting the vote count.

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The disruption occurred after electoral officials started a recount of results due to a disagreement between supporters of Dachung Baggos, a former House of Representatives member, and Hon. Esther Dung, two leading aspirants in the primary.

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A recount of votes had begun, with Dachung Baggos polling 570 votes and another aspirant, Arum, receiving 66 votes, according to party sources.

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Trouble erupted when officials attempted to count votes for Esther Dung, as suspected thugs invaded the venue, insisting that the process should not proceed.

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An APC official, Nandom Paul, confirmed that a mild drama had occurred at the collation centre after Baggos' supporters rejected the initial declaration of Esther Dung as the winner and demanded a recount.

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Supporters of Dung opposed the recount, arguing that many voters, especially women, had already been accredited, voted, and left the venue.

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The electoral officer appealed for calm and assured both camps of transparency, according to Paul.

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Despite the appeal, the two factions were unable to reach a compromise, leading to an escalation of the situation when thugs emerged and disrupted the counting process, forcing everyone to flee for safety.

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Security agents eventually intervened and evacuated the electoral officials from the scene.

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The incident occurred as the APC conducts primaries across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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In a related development, Esther Bitrus emerged as the winner of a separate primary for the same constituency at Zawan A Ward, polling 316 votes to defeat Dachung Baggos, who scored 130 votes, while Ajiji got 2 votes out of 448 votes cast.

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A monitor of the process, Jude Dalyop, described the Zawan A Ward primary as free and fair, noting that agents of all aspirants were present and actively participated in the exercise.

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The APC is expected to collate and release the final results for the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency after voting concludes across all wards.