by Christiana Gokyo, Jos
JOS: The All Progressives Congress (APC) party Aspirant for House of Representatives Primary Election in Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, Hon. John Tongshinen Gozhak, has demanded the immediate review of all issues arising from the conduct of the just-concluded primary election.
He was speaking shortly to Journalists after submitting his petition at the APC Secretariat, Kalwa House Jos, on Tuesday, when he stated that the need for the election review became necessary, “following the conduct of the APC House of Representatives Primary Election for Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency and the disturbing developments that subsequently emerged regarding the collation and declaration of results.”
“We write as loyal and committed members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stakeholders from Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, and believers in the ideals of justice, fairness and internal democracy upon which our great party was founded,” he stated.
According to Hon. John Gozhak, their grievance is the undisputed fact that, prior to the election, the Plateau State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress officially communicated to all aspirants the identities of the collation officers designated by the party to supervise and collate results arising from the exercise.
He said, “We the aspirants and stakeholders, accepted this communication in good faith and relied upon it as an official directive emanating from the duly-constituted leadership of the party in Plateau State.
“There was no indication, whatsoever, that the authority of those officers would later be questioned or that alternative officers would emerge to perform the same function.
“The election was conducted and the duly-appointed collation officers discharged their responsibilities. Results from the various voting centres were collated by these officers and submitted, in accordance with the mandate given to them by the party,” he said.
“To the best of our knowledge, these officers carried out their duties professionally and without any prior objection to their appointment. Party members participated in the election with the understanding that these were the duly recognized officers authorized by the party to collate and process the results.”
The petition also demanded a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the rejection or displacement of the duly-appointed collation officers communicated by the Plateau State Secretariat.
“A determination of the legal and procedural basis, if any, upon which alternative officers emerged after the original officers, had completed their assignment.”
While making a recognition and protection of the authority of duly-constituted party structures in Plateau State, Hon. Gozhak called for immediate steps to ensure that the genuine votes cast by APC members are protected and, that, the authentic outcome of the election is not compromised.
“We believe that justice delayed in matters such as this carries consequences far beyond the present election. The strength of any political party lies not merely in its ability to win elections but in its commitment to fairness, transparency and respect for its own rules,” he disclosed.
They, therefore, called upon the leadership of the APC in Plateau State to stand firmly on the side of justice, defend the integrity of the party’s institutions and ensure that the wishes freely expressed by party members are neither disregarded nor replaced by interests external to the democratic process.
They also assured, thus: “We remain loyal members of the APC, and reaffirm our commitment to the unity, growth and electoral success of our great party.
“As loyal members of the APC, we reject any process that diminishes the value of the votes cast by our members or undermines confidence in the structures established by the party,” he added.
The House of Reps Aspirant stressed that, “We have, therefore, chosen the path of peace, dialogue and lawful engagement. Our peaceful protest and presentation of this petition should be understood as an appeal for justice within the party and not as an act of hostility against the APC.
“We remain convinced that the APC is strong enough to confront legitimate grievances, correct procedural irregularities and uphold the principles upon which it was founded,” Hon Gozhak stated.