Pandemonium enveloped Numan, Demsa and Lamurde constituencies of Adamawa State following the announcement of Kwamoti Laori as the winner of the just concluded All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary election.
The atmosphere witnessed aspirants of the APC from the Southern Senatorial Zone staged a peaceful protest against the alleged imposition of Kwamoti Laori on the citizens.
The protest in hundreds includes party stakeholders, aspirants, supporters, youths and women groups who stormed the APC zonal secretariat in Numan on Sunday, alleging that the primary election was manipulated in favour of Fintiri’s longtime ally in total disregard for the due democratic process.
The aggrieved stakeholders accused Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of betraying the trust and confidence the people had invested in him by allegedly backing a process they described as “undemocratic and unfair”.
“We are expressing disappointment that despite the governor’s growing political influence and popularity in the Southern Senatorial Zone, he allegedly allowed an electoral heist to take place within the APC in our Zone”, they opined.
One of the protesters who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “Adamawa South has, over the years, remained Fintiri’s political foothold, adding that paying us back with betrayal would not be accepted and will amount to a huge miscalculation”.
Infact “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 would not be tolerated”.
Some youth and women leaders who addressed the gathering warned that the APC could suffer massive electoral setbacks in the constituency if the party leadership failed to urgently reverse the outcome of the disputed primaries.
According to them, they are not against any individual, but they are against a process that sidelines other aspirants and ignores the will of party members at the grassroots.
Two of the aggrieved aspirants, Vrati Nzonzo and Usoko Ken, who spoke with Journalists openly rejected the outcome of the exercise, insisting that the process lacked transparency and credibility.
They maintained that the issue was not about personal ambition but about protecting the integrity of the APC and ensuring that grassroots party members are allowed to determine who represents them.
According to the aspirants, they had invested significant time, resources and political energy mobilising support across Demsa, Numan and Lamurde local government areas and therefore deserved a level playing field.
They further warned that if the party leadership fails to address the matter before today’s, Monday’s senatorial primaries, the APC could face rejection from voters in the area during the 2027 elections.
The demonstration took place in Numan, where dozens of aspirants, party members, and supporters gathered at the APC Zonal Secretariat carrying placards with inscriptions such as “No to Imposition,” “Allow Free Primaries,” and “Let the People Decide.”
