A former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and lawmaker representing Gboko West Constituency, Hon. Hyacinth Dajoh, has withdrawn from the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the State House of Assembly.
Dajoh announced his withdrawal in a statement released through his media office, citing alleged irregularities and lack of transparency in the ongoing APC primaries across parts of the state.
The former Speaker said reports from the exercises already conducted showed that the process had allegedly been compromised.
According to Dajoh, the conduct of the primaries in some areas raised serious concerns about fairness and credibility.
He alleged that result sheets were completed in some locations before voting commenced.
The lawmaker also claimed that in other areas, electoral materials did not arrive at approved centres, yet winners were later declared.
He said such developments made it difficult for him to continue participating in the process.
Dajoh maintained that joining the House of Assembly primary under the current circumstances would amount to validating a process he considered flawed.
He said he could not endorse an exercise that, in his view, failed to meet basic democratic standards.
The former Speaker insisted that party primaries should be conducted in a transparent and credible manner to allow members freely choose their preferred candidates.
He noted that anything short of that would weaken internal democracy and public confidence in the party.
Despite his withdrawal, Dajoh expressed appreciation to his supporters, delegates, party members and stakeholders across Gboko West Constituency and the entire Gboko Local Government Area.
He also thanked women and youths who had shown confidence in his leadership aspiration.
The lawmaker said their trust and solidarity throughout the process remained deeply appreciated.
Dajoh appealed to his supporters and political allies to remain calm and peaceful while awaiting further instructions.
He urged them not to take any action that could disturb public peace or worsen political tension in the area.
The former Speaker reiterated his commitment to the unity, peace and progress of Gboko West Constituency.
He also assured his supporters that he would continue to stand with the people and work for the development of the constituency.
NaijaNews/ Samuel Olokoba
