Plateau Assembly: Court sacks Vincent, declares Mandung winner of APC primary for Jos South constituency

Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Federal High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, on Monday has pronounced Honourable Ayuba Dalyop Mandung as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Jos South State Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly.

Mandung had approached the court in suit number FHC/J/CS/43/2026, seeking a declaration that he won the party’s primary election after allegedly securing the highest number of votes announced at the ward level.

The court, presided over by Justice Dorcas Agishi, also ordered the APC and other defendants to refrain from presenting Vincent as the party’s duly nominated candidate for the constituency.

The decision followed Mandung’s lawsuit against Vincent, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which challenged the alleged alteration of the results of the party’s primary election on May 20, 2026.

The dispute revolved around the alleged alteration of the APC primary election results for Giring Ward after they were announced at the ward level.

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In its decision, the court held that the results could not be legally changed after they were announced at the ward level. It also determined that Mandung had not received a fair hearing.

The court then issued a perpetual injunction prohibiting the defendants from presenting Vincent as the duly nominated APC candidate for Jos South State Constituency.

It also ordered the defendants to follow the provisions of the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the APC’s candidate nomination guidelines.

Furthermore, the court issued a mandatory order directing the APC to submit Mandung’s name to INEC as its duly nominated candidate for the constituency in the 2027 general election, and also awarded ₦500,000 each against Vincent, the APC and INEC.

The court dismissed the preliminary objections raised by counsel to the defendants before proceeding to determine the substantive issues in favour of Mandung.