JALINGO, NIGERIA — The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State has taken a fresh turn as an aggrieved chairmanship aspirant, Alhaji Haruna Hadi Lau, has approached the Federal High Court in Jalingo to challenge the process that produced Abubakar Bawa as the new state chairman.
Lau, a former commissioner in the state, insisted that he never stepped down for any candidate and was unjustly excluded from the consensus arrangement that produced the new executive
. He told journalists in Jalingo that the party did not conduct a proper state congress anywhere in the state, and the announcement of the chairman did not follow procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.
“I went and paid for the form and proceeded to the national headquarters and collected receipt. The next thing I heard on the radio and social media was that Abubakar Bawa was declared the chairman,” Lau lamented, displaying his purchased nomination form as evidence.
The congress, held late Tuesday, saw no voting take place. Multiple party sources confirmed that the exercise merely ratified decisions taken by leaders following weeks of closed-door negotiations, with Governor Agbu Kefas defending the process as peaceful and inclusive
. However, critics argue that the emergence of a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairperson as APC leader has raised concerns among founding members who feel marginalized.
Lau is praying the court to compel the APC to conduct a fresh congress for the election of the Taraba State chairman according to the party’s procedures.
In response, the party’s state spokesperson, Aaron Artimas, dismissed the allegations, explaining that positions were zoned and allocated to stakeholders to nominate candidates. He also questioned Lau’s claim, stating the party had no record of him submitting any form through appropriate channels.
The development has sparked growing discontent among some party members, who warned that sidelining long-standing members in favor of “new APC members” could undermine party unity ahead of future elections.
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