APC Primary Committee Declares Gombe Senatorial Polls Credible, Transparent

APC Primary Committee Declares Gombe Senatorial Polls Credible, Transparent

By Auwal Umar, Gombe

The All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election committee in Gombe State has described the party’s 2026 senatorial primary elections as peaceful, transparent and credible, declaring Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, retired DCP Mohammed Ahmed and Jerry Joseph Damara as winners in their respective districts.

The chairman of the committee, Mallam Labiru Musa Kafur, stated this on Tuesday during a press briefing on the official outcome of the APC senatorial primaries conducted across the state on Monday.

Mr Kafur stated that the exercise followed the National Working Committee’s directives for a direct primary system, allowing grassroots members to participate directly.

“The exercise across all 11 local government areas was remarkably peaceful, orderly and harmonious, serving as a testament to the democratic maturity of our party faithful,” he said.

According to him, strict accreditation measures were introduced to ensure transparency and credibility throughout the exercise.

“The committee enforced a thorough and mandatory voter accreditation process beginning at 8:00 a.m. at designated ward centers. Voting eligibility was strictly tied to the presentation of a valid APC membership card,” he said.

Mr Kafur added that the measure helped to protect the integrity of the election and prevent infiltration by non-members.

Announcing the results, he said Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya emerged as the APC candidate for the Gombe North Senatorial District after securing 131,009 affirmation votes.

For Gombe Central Senatorial District, retired DCP Mohammed Ahmed polled 89,415 valid votes to emerge as the winner, while Jerry Joseph Damara secured 56,687 votes to clinch the party’s ticket for Gombe South Senatorial District.

Mr Kafur stated that designated returning officers made the official declarations at the various zonal collation centres immediately after the conclusion of collation.

“Having satisfied all necessary requirements and scored the highest number of valid votes cast in their respective districts, these winners were rightfully declared on the field immediately after collation,” he said.

“The committee fully stands by these decentralised field declarations which confirm them as the official flag bearers of the APC for the upcoming elections,” he added.

The committee chairman commended the Gombe State government, party leaders, security agencies and journalists for ensuring what he described as a credible democratic process.

“We extend our profound appreciation to the executive governor of Gombe State, the state party leadership, security agencies and members of the press for ensuring a transparent, highly credible and world-class democratic exercise,” he said.

He expressed optimism that the peaceful conduct of the primaries would strengthen unity within the party ahead of the general elections.