NDC Plateau Chair Accused of Submitting Wrong Winner to INEC in Guber Primary

Turmoil has gripped Plateau State's chapter of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following its substitution governorship primary held last Tuesday. Central to the controversy: an assertion that state chairman Solomon Yakub submitted an incorrect candidate designation to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The core dispute concerns who legitimately holds the party's 2027 gubernatorial nomination for the state. Within NDC ranks, officials maintain that Da Jonathan Akuns emerged victorious from the primary exercise and should have been forwarded to INEC as the party's choice.

Yet Yakub allegedly conveyed a different name to the electoral body instead, prompting accusations of procedural deviation. Validation of Akuns as the rightful nominee from the primary has come from the NDC's National Auditor.

Denying culpability, Yakub has rejected all allegations concerning irregularities in how primary results were communicated. He professes unawareness of any disagreement touching on who won the guber ticket, noting that INEC oversaw the substitution primary and produced official documentation.

According to the state chairman, the electoral commission's supervisory role ought to lend credibility to whatever results were transmitted. This rift presents another challenge for NDC's institutional cohesion in the approach to 2027.

Whether resolution occurs may depend on INEC's retained documentation and whether the commission maintains its own copies of primary results or relies solely on materials provided by party officials. To date, reporting has not disclosed which specific name reached INEC or how it differed from Akuns.