Tension erupted during the All Progressives Congress (APC) direct primary election for the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency on Saturday evening after suspected thugs disrupted the counting of votes at the RCM Primary School in Zarmaganda, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The disruption occurred shortly after electoral officials began a recount following disagreements between supporters of two leading aspirants, former House of Representatives member Dachung Baggos and Hon. Esther Dung. Party sources revealed that the recount started with votes already recorded for Baggos, who polled 570 votes, while another aspirant, Arum, secured 66 votes.
Trouble reportedly began when officials moved to count votes belonging to Esther Dung. Suspected thugs allegedly stormed the venue and insisted that the counting process should not continue, creating panic among party members and electoral officials.
An APC official, Nandom Paul, confirmed that tension rose after supporters of Baggos rejected the earlier declaration of Esther Dung as winner and demanded a fresh recount. However, supporters of Dung opposed the move, arguing that many accredited voters, particularly women, had already cast their votes and left the venue.
According to Paul, the electoral officer appealed to both camps to remain calm and assured them that the process would be transparent. Despite the intervention, both factions failed to reach an agreement, leading to further escalation of the situation.
The crisis worsened when the suspected thugs disrupted the exercise, forcing party members, observers, and electoral officials to flee the scene for safety. Security operatives later intervened and evacuated the electoral officials from the venue.
The incident occurred as the APC continues its primary elections nationwide ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Meanwhile, in a related development at Zawan A Ward in the same local government area, Esther Bitrus emerged victorious in another primary election for the constituency. Bitrus polled 316 votes to defeat Dachung Baggos, who secured 130 votes, while Ajiji received only two votes out of the 448 votes cast.
A monitor of the exercise, Jude Dalyop, described the Zawan A Ward primary as peaceful, free, and fair, noting that representatives of all aspirants were present and actively participated throughout the process.
The APC is expected to collate and announce the final results for the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency after voting concludes across all wards.