The All Progressives Congress National Assembly primaries in parts of Benue State were disrupted on Saturday after election materials arrived late in some local government areas and were allegedly hijacked during distribution at the party secretariat in Makurdi.
The trouble centered on materials meant for Makurdi/Guma and Gwer East/Gwer West, and it spread far enough to affect the smooth conduct of the exercise in several areas. A party chieftain, speaking anonymously, said some of the materials were taken away by suspected party members loyal to the state government. Materials meant for Makurdi/Guma federal constituency were later recovered only after the matter was taken to police headquarters and settled.
Daniel Ihomun said the party received reports of hijacked materials and delayed distribution from some areas. He said the issue was settled at the command headquarters, adding that there was also a report of late arrival in areas that are far away. Ihomun said the election would be held in some areas while other places would go by consensus.
By late Saturday, materials were still yet to reach some distant local government areas, including Kwande and Logo. In Agatu Local Government Area, voting had been concluded by around 6:15 pm, according to Melvin Ejeh. Alhaji Sabiu Mahuta, while addressing returning officers on Saturday, blamed logistical challenges for the delay in distribution and assured aspirants of a transparent, free, fair, and credible process.
The Benue State APC was conducting House of Representatives primaries with no fewer than 82 aspirants across the state, including 14 in Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency and seven in Gboko/Tarka Federal Constituency, where Regina Akume was among the contestants. Blessing Onuh was also seeking the party’s ticket in Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency alongside three other aspirants. The party had distributed sensitive and non-sensitive materials at its secretariat in Makurdi under the supervision of the National Assembly Primary Election Committee, and had urged aspirants to keep the peace and work closely with election officials.
The immediate problem was not the scale of the contest but the strain inside it: the primaries were unfolding amid factional tension tied to camps around Governor Hyacinth Alia and George Akume. That made the handling of materials politically sensitive from the start, especially after the initial list of 81 aspirants was expanded to 82 with the addition of Asema Achado. For now, the answer to what mattered on Saturday is plain enough: the primaries went ahead in some places, but in others they were slowed or stopped by delays, and the party was forced to resolve a materials dispute before the process could move on.
