Taraba APC primaries delayed by late arrival of officials and materials

Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State have voiced concerns after officials and election materials arrived late for the party’s House of Representatives primary election.

The primary was originally set for Friday, May 15, 2026, but was postponed to Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Committee members tasked with conducting the exercise reached Jalingo, the state capital, around 2:40 pm on Saturday with the required materials. Their late arrival raised worries that distributing the items to the 168 wards across the state might not be completed on schedule.

The committee had arrived at Danbaba Suntai Airport just before 2:00 pm and then went straight to Taraba Motel, where members of the APC State Working Committee (SWC) were waiting to receive the materials.

Mr. Aaron Atimas, the APC’s Director of Publicity for Taraba State, confirmed the committee’s arrival and stated that the delay would not affect the conduct of the primary election.

Nevertheless, some party members suggested that the late delivery of materials could be an attempt to manipulate the electoral process.

“Why are the election materials coming late? How can they take the materials to places like Gembu on the Mambilla Plateau, Kurmi, Takum, and Ibi? These are places that take over 10 hours to reach from Jalingo,” a party member, Jeremiah Ashu, asked.

Stakeholders within the party have urged the APC leadership to ensure transparency and fairness in the primaries throughout the state.

At the time of this report, the exercise had not yet begun in any part of the state, a development that some party faithful say is designed to favor certain aspirants.