Former Benue Speaker Dajoh Withdraws from APC Primary Over Alleged Irregularities

Former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and member representing Gboko West Constituency, Rt. Hon. Hyacinth Aondona Dajoh, has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the State House of Assembly seat, citing alleged irregularities in the process.

His withdrawal was contained in a statement issued by his media aide, Agber Kulugh, on Tuesday.

According to the statement, the decision followed concerns raised over what Dajoh described as widespread manipulation and lack of transparency in the ongoing APC primary elections across parts of Benue State.

He alleged that reports from several areas where primaries had already been conducted indicated serious breaches of electoral procedures, raising doubts about the credibility of the exercise.

The statement further claimed that in some locations, result sheets were allegedly pre-filled before the commencement of voting, while in other areas, election materials reportedly failed to arrive at designated polling centres, yet winners were still announced.

Dajoh was quoted as saying that participating in such a process would amount to legitimising what he described as a flawed and compromised exercise that falls short of democratic standards.

He therefore announced his withdrawal from the contest, insisting that the integrity of the electoral process must be protected to ensure fairness and public confidence in party democracy.

The former Speaker expressed gratitude to his supporters, delegates, stakeholders, youths, women and party members across Gboko West Constituency and Gboko Local Government Area for their continued support and loyalty throughout his political journey.

He also appealed to his supporters and political associates to remain calm and peaceful, while awaiting further political direction following his withdrawal from the race.

The development comes amid ongoing APC primary elections across Benue State, where concerns have reportedly emerged from some party stakeholders over the conduct of the exercise in several constituencies.

At the time of filing this report, the APC had yet to issue an official response to the allegations raised by the former Speaker regarding the conduct of the primaries.