Hon. Mark Ogah Welcomes APC Guidelines on Conduct, Proper Results Collation and Announcement
By Yahaya Idris, Lokoja
An aspirant for the Idah Federal House of Representatives seat in Kogi State, Mark Ogah Okpanachi, has commended the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly the office of the National Organizing Secretary, for introducing centralized procedures for the collation and announcement of National Assembly primary election results.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, Okpanachi described the directive as timely and necessary, noting that it would strengthen transparency, credibility, and internal democracy within the ruling party.
He stated that the guidelines, which provide for ward collation, Local Government Area collation, designated constituency collation centres, and submission of reports to the party’s National Headquarters, would help curb manipulation, arbitrary declaration of results, and abuse of the electoral process.
According to him, the directive is particularly significant in the case of the Idah Federal Constituency primary election, where there were reports from some wards alleging the absence of electoral officials, voting materials, and proper conduct of the exercise.
Okpanachi, who is the Kogi State Coordinator for City Boy Movement alleged that despite the reported irregularities, questionable results were declared in disregard of democratic procedures and the wishes of party members.
He said the APC leadership had demonstrated commitment to justice and fairness by insisting that results must follow established procedures and that unauthorized declarations outside approved channels would not be recognized.
The aspirant further urged the party leadership to investigate complaints arising from the Idah Federal Constituency primary election and ensure that only results from duly conducted and verifiable electoral processes are accepted.
“The credibility of our party and the confidence of grassroots members depend on fairness, transparency, and adherence to due process,” he stated.
His statement:
PRESS STATEMENT
We commend the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly the office of the National Organizing Secretary, for issuing the directive on centralized results collation and announcement procedures for the National Assembly primary elections. This step is timely, commendable, and necessary to preserve transparency, credibility, and internal democracy within our great party.
The directive clearly outlining ward collation, LGA collation, designated constituency collation centres, and submission of reports to the National Headquarters is a welcome development that will help prevent manipulation, arbitrary declaration of results, and abuse of process by desperate interests.
This measure is especially important in constituencies such as Idah Federal Constituency, where reports from several wards indicated the absence of electoral officials, voting materials, and proper conduct of elections, yet illegal and questionable results were allegedly declared in disregard of democratic procedures and the will of party members.
We believe the APC leadership has demonstrated commitment to justice and fairness by insisting that results must follow established procedures and that unauthorized briefings or declarations should not be entertained outside approved channels.
We therefore urge the party leadership to go a step further by thoroughly investigating complaints arising from the Idah Federal Constituency primary election and ensuring that only results emanating from duly conducted and verifiable electoral processes are recognized.
The credibility of our party and confidence of grassroots members depend on fairness, transparency, and adherence to due process.
Thank you.
Mark Ogah Okpanachi
Aspirant, Idah HoR Federal Constituency
