Jeffrey Kuraun Sparks Tension: Declares “Declare Me Winner or Conduct Fresh Primary” in Benue APC Crisis

A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State, Dr. Jeffrey Kuraun, has called on the party’s national leadership to either cancel the recently concluded governorship primary in the state or declare him the rightful winner.

Governor Hyacinth Alia was announced as the winner of the primary with 367,786 votes, while other contenders included Terwase Orbunde, who polled 3,247 votes, and Kuraun, who secured 2,923 votes.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, Kuraun rejected the outcome, describing the exercise as lacking credibility, transparency, and fairness expected of a ruling party.

He alleged that the process was manipulated and did not reflect the genuine will of APC members across the 276 wards and 23 local government areas of Benue State.

Kuraun further claimed that he was the only aspirant who fully complied with the party’s guidelines before the primary, including the submission of a comprehensive list of ward and local government agents, which he said was duly acknowledged by the party.

He maintained that his agents were deployed across all wards and were physically present during the exercise, adding that he has video and photographic evidence of their participation.

According to him, election materials reportedly left Makurdi around 1:00 p.m. for distribution but failed to reach many designated ward centres.

He alleged that in several instances, the materials were diverted or ended up in the possession of individuals outside the approved electoral process, which he said led to manipulation and falsification of results in some areas.

Kuraun also challenged the credibility of the exercise, demanding that anyone claiming victory should provide verifiable evidence of voting, accreditation, and collation across all 276 wards in the state.

He disclosed that he had activated the APC internal dispute resolution mechanism but claimed the appeal committee became inaccessible when he attempted to file his complaint.

According to him, repeated efforts by himself and his legal team to reach the committee members were unsuccessful, forcing him to submit his appeal via courier to the party leadership.

He added that despite formal acknowledgment of his complaint and subsequent follow-ups, he has yet to receive any response or invitation for hearing.

Kuraun said he later issued a legal notice through his lawyers after the party allegedly failed to address his petition within expected timelines.

He insisted that the primary was marred by irregularities and called on the APC National Working Committee to either organize a fresh, transparent, and independently supervised election or declare him the winner based on compliance with party guidelines.

He stressed that credible internal democracy is essential for political legitimacy, warning that flawed processes undermine governance and public trust.

Backstory…

The call by APC governorship aspirant in Benue State, Dr. Jeffrey Kuraun, comes in the aftermath of the party’s recent primary election in which Governor Hyacinth Alia emerged as the candidate for the 2027 governorship race.

Kuraun is contesting the outcome, alleging that the primary was marred by irregularities and lacked transparency. He claims that in many parts of the state, voting materials did not reach designated wards and that the process was allegedly manipulated in favour of certain interests.

He also insists that he complied fully with APC guidelines before the primary, including deploying agents across all wards and local government areas, which he says should have given him an advantage in ensuring fairness and proper monitoring of the process.

Following his rejection of the results, Kuraun has escalated the matter through the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism and is now demanding either a fresh, independently supervised primary or recognition as the winner based on his claimed compliance and evidence of field coverage.

The dispute reflects ongoing tensions within the APC in Benue State over the credibility of its internal selection process ahead of the 2027 elections.

Join Our Social Media Channels: