Crisis: APC stakeholders accuse Fintiri of betrayal, protest over Reps election result

By  Yagana Ali Yola.

Tension has continued to deepen within the Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following protests that rocked Numan over the controversial conduct of the party’s House of Representatives primaries for the Demsa, Numan and Lamurde Federal Constituency.

The protest, which attracted hundreds of party stakeholders, aspirants, youths and women groups, took place on Sunday at the APC zonal secretariat in Numan. 

Demonstrators accused the party leadership of manipulating the primary election process in favour of Kwamoti La’ori, alleged to be a longtime ally of Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, at the expense of internal democracy.

The aggrieved party members carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “No to Imposition,” “Let the People Decide,” and “Democracy Must Prevail,” as they demanded the cancellation of what they described as an imposed outcome.

Addressing journalists during the protest, several stakeholders alleged that no credible primary election was conducted, insisting that the process lacked transparency and fairness. 

According to them, the emergence of the candidate did not reflect the wishes of party members and constituents across Demsa, Numan and Lamurde local government areas.

The protesters further accused Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of betraying the confidence reposed in him by the people of Adamawa South, a zone widely regarded as one of his strongest political support bases.

Many of the demonstrators expressed disappointment that despite the governor’s popularity and political influence in the southern senatorial district, he allegedly allowed what they termed an “electoral robbery” to take place within the party.

They warned that the development could create serious cracks within the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections if urgent steps were not taken to address the grievances of party members.

Some youth and women leaders who spoke during the gathering cautioned that the APC risks losing massive support in the constituency should the party leadership fail to reverse the outcome of the disputed primaries.

“We supported this government because we believed in justice, fairness and inclusion, but what happened here is against the spirit of democracy,” one of the protesters lamented.

Among the aspirants who openly rejected the outcome of the exercise were Usoko Ken and Vrati Nzonzo, who maintained that the process lacked credibility and failed to provide a level playing ground for all contestants.

The aspirants insisted that their objections were not driven by personal ambition but by the need to protect the integrity of the APC and safeguard the democratic rights of grassroots party members.

According to them, they had invested enormous time, resources and political energy mobilising support across the constituency and therefore deserved a transparent and fair process.

They further issued a stern warning to the party leadership, stating that failure to address the matter before the party’s senatorial primaries could trigger widespread rejection of the APC in the area during the 2027 elections.

The protesters called on both the national and state leadership of the APC to immediately cancel any alleged imposed list and conduct a fresh, free and credible primary election capable of restoring confidence among party faithful.

Despite their grievances, the aggrieved aspirants and stakeholders reaffirmed their loyalty to the APC, pledging to continue seeking redress through peaceful and constitutional means.