By Iorwuese Jester Shija
All Progressives Congress, APC, Benue State 2027 Governorship Aspirant, Honorable Terwase Orbunde, has successfully filed a petition challenging the results of the party’s governorship primaries at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.
He had earlier rejected the result announced on 22nd May, 2026 at the APC State Secretariat in Makurdi.
In the petition, Honorable Orbunde demanded the nullification of the purported results announced by Professor Mohammed Kabir Isah on account of substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act, the APC Constitution and the Party Guidelines.
He argued that the exercise did not comply with the minimum standards of transparency, fairness and credibility; and
requested fresh, transparent, credible and properly supervised governorship primary election where all duly registered APC members in Benue State shall be given the opportunity to freely participate.
The former Chief of Staff to the Benue State Governor submitted that contrary to the mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 especially section 86 thereof, the APC Constitution and the Guidelines regulating the conduct of direct primary elections, the exercise was never conducted in majority of the wards across Benue State.
”Thousands of APC members waited endlessly at their various ward headquarters with their membership cards in anticipation of voting or being counted but neither electoral officials nor election materials arrived at the designated venues,” he stated.
”No voting or counting of voters/party members took place. Yet, fictitious scores were later manufactured and announced as election results.”
Honorable Orbunde submitted that the development amounted to a direct assault on internal democracy and an insult to the collective intelligence of APC members in Benue State who had enthusiastically mobilized themselves for the exercise.
He said he had to file the petition at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja as the Appeal Panel which was supposed to receive it did not make itself available to be served in Makurdi.
Honorable Orbunde appealed to his supporters to remain calm while expressing confidence in the internal conflict resolution mechanism of the party.