The Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, on Friday ordered the All Progressives Congress, APC, to conduct fresh primary elections in 10 wards of the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency over alleged irregularities in the party’s primary election.
Justice Dorcas Agishi, who delivered judgment in a suit instituted by Hon. Esther Bitrus Danboyi against Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, also awarded N500,000 costs against each of the three defendants.
The order followed Danboyi’s challenge to the APC primary election which produced Bagos as the party’s candidate for the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Counsel to Danboyi, Ritji Timothy Yilwatda, Esq., of Gyang Zi, SAN & Co., told journalists after the judgment that his client had challenged the primary on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with relevant provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act and the APC guidelines governing the conduct of party primaries.
He said Danboyi also complained that she was not accorded fair hearing after submitting petitions to the APC and its Primary Election Appeal Committee over the disputed primary.
According to Yilwatda, the court found that the required elections were not conducted in the wards challenged by the plaintiff and consequently ordered the APC to conduct the elections within 30 days.
“The court found that the required elections had not been conducted in the wards challenged by the plaintiff and consequently ordered that the elections be conducted within 30 days,” he said.
He listed the affected wards as Du, Shen, Zawan ‘B’, Fobur ‘A’, Fobur ‘B’, Jarawan Kogi, Mai Juju/Doss, Federe, Shere East and Shere West.
The counsel said the court also dismissed the preliminary objection and counter-affidavits filed by the defendants, describing the objections as lacking merit.
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Yilwatda added that the court awarded a total of N1.5 million in costs, comprising N500,000 each against Bagos, the APC and INEC, payable to the plaintiff.
“The court also dismissed the preliminary objection and counter-affidavits filed by the defendants, describing the objections as lacking merit,” he said.
“The court awarded a total of N1.5 million in costs, comprising N500,000 against each of Bagos, the APC and INEC, payable to the plaintiff,” Yilwatda added.
The suit, marked FHC/J/CS/42/2026, followed the APC primary in which Bagos was declared winner of the contest for the party’s ticket.
Danboyi had challenged the validity of the primary, asking the court, among other reliefs, to set aside the result and compel the APC to conduct and conclude elections in wards where she alleged that the exercise did not take place.
The judgment comes against the backdrop of earlier complaints by Danboyi over the conduct of the APC primary, particularly allegations of irregularities in some wards.