APC Aspirant Drags Party to Court Over Alleged Assembly Ticket Substitution
By Comfort Pius, Jos
Former Chairman of Kanam Local Government Area, Hon. Dr. Dayyabu Yusuf Garga, has dragged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to court over the alleged substitution of his candidature for the Kantana State Constituency seat in the Plateau State House of Assembly.
Dr. Garga disclosed this on Tuesday while briefing journalists at his residence in Jos, where he maintained that he won the party’s primary election but was denied the party’s ticket.
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According to him, he participated in the APC House of Assembly primary election held on May 28, 2026, after purchasing the party’s nomination form and was declared winner by the returning officer.
He alleged that despite emerging victorious in the primary, he later discovered on July 15 that the party had issued the nomination ticket to another aspirant whom he claimed scored fewer votes.
“I scored the highest number of votes in the primary, but to my surprise, I learnt that the ticket meant for me had been given to another person whom I defeated. There are video recordings of the exercise where the returning officer announced the results,” he said.
The former council chairman explained that he immediately sought legal redress, insisting that the judiciary remained the appropriate avenue for resolving electoral disputes.
“If you are aggrieved, you don’t take the law into your hands. You seek redress through the courts, and that is exactly what I have done. I want the court to determine whether someone who scored fewer votes can lawfully be issued the party’s ticket,” he stated.
Dr. Garga said he had first exhausted the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism by submitting a petition to the APC National Chairman through the party’s appeal committee after party officials informed aspirants that the primary results were being reviewed at the national secretariat.
According to him, despite submitting the petition at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja and obtaining an acknowledged copy, he never received any response.
He said that instead of an official announcement of the reviewed results, he heard that certificates of return had been issued to some aspirants, prompting him to approach the court within the time allowed by law.
The APC chieftain further revealed that through his lawyer, he obtained a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the primary election results from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which, according to him, confirmed that he was declared the winner of the Kantana State Constituency primary election.
“I applied to INEC headquarters for the Certified True Copy of the primary result, and the document I received showed that I was declared the winner. My lawyer has already tendered the document before the Federal High Court,” he said.
Speaking on the outcome of the primary, Dr. Garga claimed he polled 4,298 votes, while the aspirant who allegedly issued the party’s ticket scored 1,141 votes. He added that the other three contestants scored 804, 568, and 332 votes respectively.
While noting that he could not confirm whether the name of the other aspirant had been forwarded to INEC, he expressed confidence that the court would determine the rightful candidate and order the necessary correction if his claims were upheld.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and other leaders of the party to ensure fairness in the handling of the matter.
“My appeal to the President and all leaders of our party is to ensure not only that justice is done but that justice is seen to have been done. I remain a loyal party member and will continue to support all APC candidates,” he said.
