A major political storm is brewing within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) has launched a blistering assault on the integrity of the party's recent Niger South Senatorial District primary election.
At a press conference in Abuja, the coalition accused the Niger State Government, under the leadership of Governor Umaru Muhammad Bago, of presiding over a "carefully supervised political charade" engineered to impose a predetermined candidate against the collective will of party faithful.
Reading the official text of the press conference, the Deputy National Secretary of the CNCSOs, Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, expressed deep alarm and outrage over what he termed a dangerous slide toward authoritarianism and a direct threat to democratic culture in Nigeria.
"What transpired in Niger State cannot be described as democracy," Comrade Prince declared. "It cannot even pass as a credible party primary election by the most basic democratic standards. What Nigerians witnessed was nothing short of a carefully supervised political charade allegedly designed to impose predetermined outcomes."
Widespread Irregularities and "Government House" Results
The civil society groups claimed that the entire electoral process was severely compromised. According to reports gathered by the coalition from aggrieved aspirants, stakeholders, and delegates, legitimate party members were allegedly denied participation and accreditation while voting procedures were heavily manipulated.
Most damagingly, the coalition alleged that the election lacked the mandatory presence of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, and that the final results were "written from the Government House" rather than collated transparently at the designated voting venues.
Comrade Prince lamented that the political discourse in Niger State has been reduced to a single, embarrassing question: “Is Your Candidate the Governor’s Friend?”
"That statement alone captures the depth of frustration, exclusion, and hopelessness allegedly created by the collapse of internal democracy within the ruling party structure in the state," Prince said.
"A democracy where candidates allegedly emerge based on personal closeness to those in power rather than through transparent electoral processes is a democracy standing dangerously close to authoritarianism."
Ultimatum and Threat of Mass Action
Refusing to view the crisis as a mere internal party affair, the CNCSOs warned that ignoring these irregularities would embolden political impunity and decimate public trust in the country's electoral systems.
Consequently, the coalition has issued a stern ultimatum to both the Niger State Government and the national leadership of the APC, demanding:
Immediate Intervention: An urgent, independent investigation by the APC National Working Committee into the alleged state interference.
Nullification: The total cancellation of the disputed Niger South senatorial primary election due to procedural violations.
Fresh Primaries: The conduct of a fresh, transparent, and inclusive election strictly adhering to the Electoral Act and the APC Constitution.
Should these demands be ignored, the coalition warned it is already mobilizing for an unprecedented showdown, including a ten-million-man solidarity march and coordinated mass civil resistance across the Niger South Senatorial District and the state capital.
A Call to the Presidency
The CNCSOs made a direct appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the APC to intervene swiftly before political impunity becomes institutionalized in Niger State, warning that the suppression of internal democracy will only yield voter apathy and endless litigations that could damage the party’s future fortunes.
"No political party can successfully preach democracy to Nigerians while allegedly destroying democracy within its own internal structures," the statement concluded, urging the people of Niger State to remain peaceful but vigilant in the pursuit of justice.
At the time of filing this report, the Niger State Government and the state chapter of the APC had yet to issue an official response to the allegations.
TEXT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE COALITION OF NATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS (CNCSOs) ON THE ALLEGED MANIPULATION OF APC PRIMARY ELECTIONS IN NIGER SOUTH SENATORIAL SEAT OF NIGER STATE DELIVERED BY COMRADE DANESI MOMOH PRINCE
PROTOCOL
Gentlemen of the press,
The Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) has convened this press conference today to draw the attention of Nigerians, the international democratic community, and all lovers of justice to the dangerous assault on democracy allegedly taking place in Niger State under the administration of Governor Umaru Muhammad Bago.
We are deeply alarmed, disappointed, and outraged by the widespread allegations of manipulation, suppression of internal democracy, abuse of state power, and political imposition that reportedly characterized the purported All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election in the Niger South Senatorial District.
What transpired in Niger State cannot be described as democracy. It cannot be described as a transparent political process. It cannot even pass as a credible party primary election by the most basic democratic standards. What Nigerians witnessed, according to reports from aggrieved aspirants, stakeholders, delegates, and party faithful, was nothing short of a carefully supervised political charade allegedly designed to impose predetermined outcomes on party members against their collective will.
The CNCSOs considers it unacceptable that under a democratic dispensation, a state governor would allegedly preside over a political environment where internal party processes are reduced to mere formalities while the real outcomes are allegedly adictated by political loyalty and personal interests.
We are particularly disturbed by allegations that lawful delegates and party members were denied participation, accreditation processes allegedly manipulated, voting procedures compromised, and results written from Government House purportedly announced without transparency, credibility, or broad acceptance among stakeholders and without INEC officials present.
This is not merely an internal party affair. It is a direct threat to democratic culture, political accountability, and the rule of law in Nigeria.
Today, the painful and embarrassing question reportedly dominating political conversations in Niger State is: “Is Your Candidate the Governor’s Friend?” That statement alone captures the depth of frustration, exclusion, and hopelessness allegedly created by the collapse of internal democracy within the ruling party structure in the state.
A democracy where candidates allegedly emerge based on personal closeness to those in power rather than through transparent electoral processes is a democracy standing dangerously close to authoritarianism.
The Coalition is deeply worried that if these allegations are ignored, it will further embolden political impunity, weaken democratic institutions, and destroy public confidence in electoral processes across the country.
Political parties are expected to serve as institutions for democratic participation, inclusion, competition, and accountability. However, when party structures are allegedly converted into private political estates controlled by a few powerful individuals, democracy itself becomes endangered.
The CNCSOs therefore stands firmly with all aggrieved aspirants, delegates, stakeholders, and genuine party members who have rejected the purported APC senatorial primary election in Niger South Senatorial District.
We believe that injustice anywhere within the democratic process constitutes a threat to democracy everywhere.
Let it be clearly stated that no democracy can survive where due process is allegedly replaced by intimidation, imposition, manipulation, and impunity.
The Coalition hereby demands the immediate intervention of the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress, relevant democratic institutions, and all authorities responsible for safeguarding political accountability in Nigeria.
We demand an urgent and independent investigation into the serious allegations of interference, abuse of political influence, and manipulation of internal party democratic processes allegedly linked to the Niger State Government.
We also demand the immediate cancellation and nullification of the purported primary election due to the widespread allegations of irregularities, procedural violations, and lack of transparency that reportedly characterized the exercise.
Furthermore, we demand the conduct of a fresh, credible, transparent, inclusive, and democratically acceptable primary election conducted strictly in line with the Electoral Act, the Constitution of the APC, and established democratic procedures guiding party primaries in Nigeria.
The CNCSOs wishes to remind political actors that power belongs to the people and not to a privileged political class seeking to capture democratic institutions for personal control.
Nigeria’s democracy has suffered too many setbacks arising from political impunity, electoral manipulation, and abuse of power. It is therefore unacceptable for any political leader, regardless of status or influence, to allegedly undermine democratic processes while expecting citizens to remain silent.
We warn that continued suppression of internal democracy within political parties will only produce deeper political divisions, endless litigations, voter apathy, and avoidable instability capable of threatening the future electoral fortunes of political parties involved.
No political party can successfully preach democracy to Nigerians while allegedly destroying democracy within its own internal structures.
The Coalition therefore calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Working Committee of the APC, democratic institutions, civil society organisations, and all patriotic Nigerians to rise in defence of democracy before political impunity becomes fully institutionalized in Niger State.
We also call on security agencies and relevant institutions to remain neutral, professional, and committed to protecting the democratic rights of citizens and political participants without fear or favour.
To the people of Niger State, particularly party supporters, youths, women, delegates, and stakeholders, we urge you to remain peaceful, law-abiding, vigilant, and steadfast in the pursuit of justice through lawful and democratic means.
The struggle for democracy has never been easy, but history has shown repeatedly that truth, justice, and the collective will of the people will always prevail over political oppression and manipulation.
The CNCSOs remains committed to defending democratic principles, promoting electoral integrity, protecting political rights, and resisting every form of abuse of democratic processes in Nigeria.
While we shall continue to speak firmly against injustice, impunity, political intimidation, and every form of democratic subversion wherever they occur, the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) wishes to make it unequivocally clear that failure by Governor Umaru Muhammad Bago and the leadership of the APC to immediately do the right thing and conduct a credible, transparent, and lawful primary election will leave Nigerians with no option but to democratically resist this assault on internal democracy through lawful mass civic action.Consequently, the Coalition is already consulting widely and mobilising across the country for what may become one of the largest peaceful civil resistance movements in recent political history, including a proposed ten-million-man solidarity march aimed at compelling the Niger State Government and the APC leadership to respect democratic principles and the will of genuine party members.We also use this opportunity to place allied civil society organisations, pro-democracy groups, faith-based organisations, youth movements, labour groups, non-governmental organisations, community stakeholders, and defenders of democratic accountability on notice to begin necessary consultations and preparations for sustained lawful civic engagements and coordinated mass actions across Niger South Senatorial District and the Niger State capital should the authorities continue to ignore the demands for justice, fairness, and credible democratic processes.The era where political leaders treat democratic institutions as personal property must come to an end. Democracy belongs to the people, and the people reserve the constitutional right to peacefully demand accountability whenever democratic values are threatened.Thank you for your attention.As Delivered by Danesi Momoh Prince, Deputy National Secretary, Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs)
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