Tension and controversy have continued to trail the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election for the Numan, Demsa and Lamurde Federal Constituency in Adamawa State, following the emergence of Kwamoti Laori as the party’s candidate.
The development sparked protests in Numan on Sunday as aggrieved aspirants, party stakeholders, youths, women groups and supporters stormed the APC zonal secretariat to reject what they described as the “imposition” of the candidate.
Key Highlights:
The protesters alleged that the primary election was manipulated in favour of Laori, whom they described as a longtime ally of Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, insisting that the process lacked transparency, fairness and credibility.
Carrying placards and chanting anti-imposition slogans, the demonstrators accused the state leadership of undermining democratic principles and sidelining other aspirants in the contest.
One of the protesters, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the people of Adamawa South felt betrayed by the outcome of the exercise.
“Adamawa South has remained Governor Fintiri’s political stronghold over the years. Paying the people back with betrayal will not be accepted and amounts to a huge political miscalculation,” the source said.
“We supported this government because we believed it would promote justice and fairness, but what happened here is a betrayal of the democratic spirit and should not be tolerated,” the protester added.
Youth and women leaders who addressed the crowd warned that the APC could face serious electoral consequences in the constituency if the outcome of the primary election was not reviewed.
According to them, the protest was not targeted at any individual aspirant but against a process they claimed ignored the wishes of party members at the grassroots.
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Two aggrieved aspirants, Vrati Nzonzo and Usoko Ken, also rejected the outcome of the exercise, insisting that the primary election lacked openness and credibility.
The aspirants maintained that their opposition was not driven by personal ambition but by the need to protect the integrity of the APC and ensure internal democracy within the party.
They noted that they had invested significant resources, time and political energy mobilising support across Demsa, Numan and Lamurde local government areas and deserved a level playing field.
The aggrieved aspirants further warned that failure by the party leadership to address the concerns before Monday’s senatorial primaries could lead to voter apathy and possible rejection of the APC in the constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The protest, which took place at the APC zonal secretariat in Numan, attracted dozens of party faithful and supporters, further exposing growing discontent within the party ranks in the constituency.
