Anxiety swept through Jos North Local Government Area on Saturday as the APC House of Representatives primaries faced significant delays. Party members arrived early but found themselves waiting for hours without materials or officials.
Multiple wards across the area remained either empty or unopened by late morning. Uncertainty gripped party faithful who'd shown up ready to participate in the exercise.
At Vandapuye Ward's St. Theresa's Primary School, supporters clustered in small groups, discussing the holdup.
By 11:25am, neither electoral materials nor any official had appeared at the location.
Concerns deepened among members waiting for accreditation. Many questioned whether the primaries would proceed as scheduled.
Similar scenes unfolded in Jos South's Holshe area. The venue there remained locked until nearly 12:10pm, leaving prospective participants stranded outside.
Inside party circles, sources revealed something different was happening. Some aspirants and stakeholders were holding consultations to resolve issues affecting the primaries.
One party leader, speaking confidentially to BusinessDay, offered insight into the chaos. Leaders in various state areas were pushing for consensus deals between aspirants, he explained.
In his view, these negotiations likely caused the delays hitting several wards. The consultations had apparently taken priority over the scheduled timing.
Across Plateau State, the pattern repeated itself. Party members and supporters faced identical delays in receiving officials and electoral materials for the APC primaries.
Around 1pm, reporters contacted Wumana Bako, the state's APC Publicity Secretary. He confirmed via text that returning officers were being dispatched to their local government areas.
Bako assured party members the process remained on track. He expressed confidence that operations would run smoothly once officials reached their assigned centres.
