APC and Jang Clash Over Party Structures in Plateau State

• Former Governor Jonah David Jang alleges lack of valid structure in Plateau APC, questions legitimacy of party’s governorship primary
• Plateau APC dismisses Jang’s claims, cites legal validity of governorship candidate nomination and court judgments against PDP’s structure

A clash has ensued between the Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor Jonah David Jang, a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, regarding the legitimacy of their respective party structures.

Jang alleged that the APC lacked a valid structure to endorse candidates in elections, while the APC highlighted court judgments that disqualified the PDP from electoral participation.

This dispute emerged following a recent Court of Appeal ruling that ousted PDP lawmakers from both national and state assemblies and removed Governor Caleb Mutfwang due to their party’s perceived lack of a structure to sponsor candidates.

The disagreement intensified after a viral video by Jang claimed that the APC did not conduct a valid governorship primary that produced Nentawe Yilwatda as the party’s candidate. Jang accused former Governor Lalong of unilaterally imposing Nentawe as their candidate. Furthermore, he contended that the state APC chairman, Rufus Bature, was not validly nominated, asserting, “The PDP has structure. It is the APC that lacks structure. They didn’t conduct a primary for the governorship. Lalong imposed Nentawe on the party.”

In response, APC spokesman Sylvanus Namang dismissed Jang’s statements as ill-motivated and deceitful. Namang remarked, “Jang’s statements are diversionary, considering Sen. Jang’s involvement in the loss suffered by the PDP in Plateau State, leading to the removal of Governor Caleb Mutfwang and all elected National and State Assembly members by the Court of Appeal.”

Namang affirmed the credibility and legal validity of Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe’s emergence as the APC’s governorship flag-bearer. He pointed to the Supreme Court’s dismissal of the suit against Yilwatda’s nomination as evidence supporting the legitimacy of the process.