The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State says that 90 percent of its candidates for the House of Representatives primaries were selected through consensus agreements.
Senator Mustapha Makama, chief of staff at the Government House in Dutse and chairman of the Dutse/Kiyawa Primary Election Committee, confirmed the figure while discussing the party’s primary process. Makama noted that Jigawa was the only state to successfully apply the consensus method at the first stage of its primaries, as stipulated in the APC constitution.
Jigawa State APC chairman Alhaji Ahmed Garba previously explained that formal primary elections took place in only four of the state’s eleven federal constituencies: Dutse/Kiyawa, Ringim/Taura, Kafin Hausa/Auyo/Hadejia, and Gumel/Gagarawa/Sule Tankarkar/Maigatari. In the remaining seven constituencies, candidates emerged unopposed after stakeholders reached consensus.
Garba praised party supporters for maintaining order across the 287 political wards where the primaries were conducted. He added that the consensus approach helped avoid protracted contests and ensured a smooth selection process.
The national delegation assigned to monitor APC primaries in the North‑West zone also expressed satisfaction with the outcome in Jigawa. The delegation, led by Isa Sadiq Achida, the party’s North‑West Zonal Secretary, was tasked with confirming that all candidates were nominated in compliance with party rules and electoral law. Delegation secretary Sambo Bello explained that the monitoring team comprised two sub‑committees – the Election and Candidate Inauguration Committee and the Appeals Committee – established to safeguard peaceful and transparent primaries across the region.
The consensus‑driven process in Jigawa reflects the APC’s broader effort to streamline candidate selection and reduce intra‑party disputes ahead of the upcoming general elections. Observers will watch whether the approach is replicated in other states as the party seeks to present a united front nationwide.
