Gagdi: A declaration mired in controversy

All of a sudden, interests in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary elections in Plateau State shifted from the other 29 aspirants vying for tickets in the eight constituencies in the states to a particular aspirant: Yusuf Babayo Gagdi. Even the Jos North/ Bassa Federal Constituency that used to attract high interest […]

All of a sudden, interests in the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary elections in Plateau State shifted from the other 29 aspirants vying for tickets in the eight constituencies in the states to a particular aspirant: Yusuf Babayo Gagdi.

Even the Jos North/ Bassa Federal Constituency that used to attract high interest due to its cosmopolitan composition took the back stage this time.

Gagdi represents PankshinKanke/ Kanam Federal Constituency and has been in the House since 2019. He has been chairman of  the committee on Navy since his first tenure.

Unlike his previous outings when he secured the ticket of the party without much stress, his current bid has been the most problematic.

He stirred hot controversies since he declared his intention to run again in 2027 as there were permutations by stakeholders in the constituency to have him replaced.based on many factors.

Immediate past Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Gabriel Dewan is said to be positioned to play that role. Dewan is of the Young Progressives Party. (YPP).

But many did not expect that the oppostion for Gagdi would come from his party, the APC given his closeness to the national chairman of the party, Prof Nentawe Yiltwada.

The challenge manifested on Sunday, when a returning officer, Nandom Andrew Kura, declared Gagdi the winner of the primary saying he polled 29,207 votes.

He said, “ Five contestants went in for the primary. The result is as follows: We have Adamu Yusuf Gagdi who polled 29, 207 votes. We have Henry Goti who polled 293 votes. We have Zhiphion Chrysantus who polled 848 votes. We have Abbas Adamu who polled 430 votes and we have Jhon Tongshinai who polled 372 votes.

However, in another press conference held in Pankshin on Sunday,  a returning officer, Daspan Ishaya, announced that Dr. John Tongshinen scored the highest votes in the primary.

Ishaya said Tongshinen scored 29,968 votes in the exercise, adding that  Gagdi polled 5,849 votes, while John Pia, scored 51 votes.

The matter led to confusion as people did not know which to believe since both aspirants were claiming victory.

Not long after, all sorts of conspiracy theories including emotive ones were being spewed as to why Gagdi was being denied the ticket giving rise to tension in the states.

Some analysts compared the situation that Gagdi found himself to the type former deputy senate president, Ibrahim Mantu found himself in 2007 when he contested for the Senate seat a third time and lost due to the fact that he contested in a zone where he belonged to the minority group.

“Mantu has happened to Gagdi,” said one commentator after it was reported that Gagdi lost the election.

By Monday however, the Chairman of the Primary Election Committee in Plateau State, Stella Oketete, clarified at a press conference at the state APC Secretariat in Jos, that the returning officer her committee recognise is Nandom Andrew Kura, who declared Gagdi the winner of the exercise.

“The Retuning Officer for Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam is Barrister Nandom Andrew Kura, “ the chairman emphasized.

With that, supporters of Gagdi began to jubilate saying that has put the matter of who actually is the winner of the primary to rest.

Our correspondent reports that the election of Gagdi has been an issue since 2023 when he threw himself headlong in opposing the election Caleb Muftwang who was then the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the governorship election.

He was a radical supporter of Prof Nentawe Yilwatda who was the APC governorship candidate.

Even when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Muftwang as the winner and the matter wen to the tribunal, Gagdi was all over the place escorting the litigant to court and granting press interviews where he made a controversial statement when the matter got to the Supreme Court, that “‘we know whom they know, but they don’t know whom we know.’”

Our correspondents also report that there is also the issue of zoning among the three Local Government Areas that make up the constituency.

Analysts say this could be why the Constituency has had one of the highest turn over of Reps since 1999- six within 24 years giving it an average of 4 years per Rep.

Gagdi is reportedly the first to win a second term in the constituency. His third term bid is therefore seen by those who believe in zoning as an overreach given that people from the other two local governments of Pankshin and Kanke would want to take their turns.

The Rep member has however defended his ambition saying it within his constitutional right to do so citing the case of two of his colleagues that have spent more than two terms in the House.

Analysts say the baptism of fire he went through to get the APC ticket this time, which usually was his to take has shown that there’s a bigger battle ahead in the general elections more especially if the other parties give their tickets to candidates from Pankshin which is claiming to be the next in terms of zoning.

Though Gagdi and the Governor seem to have settled their differences as they are now in the same party, it is not certain how committed they are to the resolve.

It is however believed that he has been able to attract projects to the constituencies and secure jobs for numerous constituents.

Our correspondents report that the expectation of the constituents was that the APC Senate for Plateau Central ticket would go to Kanam then Pankshin can take the Reps seat of PKK.

Valentine Adese, a journalist and analyst, attributed the development to a glaring lack of leadership, adding that everyone is scrambling for power instead of doing what’s right. He said the system is plagued by sentiment and a deep disconnect, which is why what happened in the PKK constituency and others like it.

But with the non clearance of the Senate aspirant, it is now left to be seen if that would favour Gagdi retaining the seat.