Nasarawa ADC Governorship Primary: Dalung Defends Electoral Committee, Dismisses Allegations

Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has defended the conduct of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship primary election in Nasarawa State, insisting that the exercise was conducted in line with the party’s constitution and electoral guidelines despite what he described as intense intimidation, violence and attempts to compromise the process.

Dalung, who chaired the ADC National Working Committee’s Electoral Committee for the Nasarawa governorship primaries, gave a detailed account of the exercise in a statement titled “Nasarawa ADC Gubernatorial Primary Elections: Facts Versus Fiction.”

According to him, the committee arrived in Lafia on May 21, 2026, and immediately began consultations with party stakeholders ahead of the primaries.

He said a stakeholders’ meeting was held the following day where aspirants and their supporters were urged to conduct themselves peacefully and comply strictly with the party’s guidelines.

Dalung explained that trouble began on the first day of the State and National Assembly primaries when supporters of one of the governorship aspirants allegedly besieged the committee and held members hostage for over five hours.

He said the group accused the committee of favouring another aspirant through the composition of the list of electoral officers, while simultaneously demanding a list favourable to their own interest.

The former minister stated that the prolonged disruption forced the committee to make adjustments in order to prevent the total collapse of the exercise.

“As a result of the siege and occupation of our office by the unruly crowd, election materials were distributed very late, with electoral officials departing for their assignments at about 4:00 pm,” he said.

He noted that the disruption eventually compelled the committee to reschedule the governorship primary election to the following day.

Dalung further alleged that on May 23, two electoral officials from Doma and Keana Local Government Areas were attacked inside the ADC State Secretariat before the commencement of the governorship primary election.

According to him, results from the earlier National and State Assembly primaries were snatched during the attack, while one official was brutalised and nearly lynched before security operatives intervened.

He added that dangerous weapons, including guns and knives, were recovered from some of the attackers.

Despite the violence, Dalung said electoral officials eventually departed for their assignments at about 12:17 pm after collecting election materials.

He also narrated what he described as disturbing incidents involving officials deployed to Toto and Nasarawa Local Government Areas, alleging that they were intercepted in Keffi by unknown persons, abducted and detained in a dark room for several hours.

“Their phones and election materials were confiscated, and they were only released around 10:00 pm alongside purported election results from Toto and Nasarawa LGAs,” he stated.

The committee chairman also alleged that violence erupted at the Karu LGA Secretariat after election materials arrived at the venue.

He said the ADC legacy party chairman and a former commissioner accompanying the materials were attacked and sustained serious injuries.

Dalung disclosed that although materials were eventually distributed to ward officials, the Electoral Officer for Karu LGA, Mr. Joseph Omadefu, was later detained within the secretariat after the gate was locked against him.

Fearing for his safety, Omadefu reportedly escaped under the guise of charging his phone and did not return.

He further revealed that after the elections, an individual who was neither a Local Government Electoral Officer nor a Ward Electoral Officer appeared at the collation centre with election results for Karu LGA.

Dalung said the committee refused to recognise the individual for over 24 hours because he had no legal authority within the electoral process.

However, he explained that the committee eventually received documents relating to four LGAs — Doma, Nasarawa, Toto and Karu — strictly for record purposes and to guide its final decision.

Following deliberations, Dalung said the committee rejected results from Toto and election materials from Karu LGA on grounds of serious irregularities.

He explained that the Toto Electoral Officer personally confirmed being abducted and detained in Keffi for more than 10 hours before being handed results allegedly originating from Toto.

The committee also reportedly received independent reports from stakeholders in Toto indicating that electoral officials never arrived in the area for the governorship primary.

On Karu LGA, Dalung maintained that the materials were compromised because they were presented by an unauthorised individual who was neither an electoral officer nor legally empowered to possess sensitive election materials.

He said the integrity and credibility of the process in Karu were therefore irreparably damaged.

Consequently, the committee proceeded to collate results from 11 out of the 13 Local Government Areas and declared a winner based on what he described as validly conducted direct primaries.

Dalung stressed that the committee’s actions were guided strictly by the ADC electoral guidelines, particularly the provision mandating direct primaries through physical counting of members present to vote.

He quoted the guideline as stating that any aspirant who emerges through a process other than direct primaries stands automatically disqualified.

The former minister accused unnamed individuals of spreading falsehoods and distorted narratives to discredit the electoral committee and mislead the public.

He maintained that the committee acted in good faith under extremely difficult and dangerous conditions while upholding democratic principles and the party’s constitution.

“History and available records will ultimately vindicate the truth,” Dalung stated.