Benue South Primaries: APC collation officer Ochijele alleges forgery by Alapa
…Petitions Police, Demands Arrest, Prosecution
The Collation Officer for the May 18, 2026, All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue South Senatorial District primary election, Peter Sani Ochijele, has insisted that Honourable Francis Agbo won the election.
Ochijele said this in a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, alleging that Hon. Nelson Godwin Onyilokwu Alapa forged his signature and manipulated the election result to present himself as the winner.
Ochijele, through his solicitors, Paul E. Ikwe, Esq., and Jeremiah O. Adoga, Esq., urged the police to immediately investigate the alleged falsification and prosecute Alapa!
In the petition dated September 30, 2026, and addressed to the Commissioner of Police in Makurdi, Ochijele said six aspirants participated in the primary election.
He noted that results from the nine local government areas were collated at the senatorial headquarters in Lux Haven hotel, Otukpo at the conclusion of the exercise.
Ochijele further asserted that publicly collated the results brought in by the 9 LG Collation Officers of the party were announced by the National Assembly Primary Election Collation Officer, Alhaji Sabiu Saidu Mahuta showed that Dr. Francis Ottah Agbo won with 58,760 votes.
Hon. Joseph Ojobo scored 6,782; Hon. Gabriel Oloche Agidani, 5,246; Hon. Dan Onje, 4,570; Alapa, 4,312; and Hon. Patrick Idoko Ojechema, 2,732 votes.
According to the petition, the results were announced in the presence of party faithful, security agents, agents of the aspirants and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who monitored the exercise.
Ochijele explained that the result was duly signed by him, copies were distributed to agents of Aspirants, INEC and other the relevant agencies. Mahuta and his Secretary, Dr. Bashir Garba signed the results and subsequently transmitted same to the APC.
However, he said he was shocked when his attention was drawn to a suit instituted by Alapa at the Federal High Court, Abuja, with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1092/2026, challenging the outcome of the primary election.
Ochijele alleged that Alapa presented a different result in the court proceedings, claiming that he had been declared winner by him, Ochijele.
Ochijele noted that he is only empowered to collate and announce results and not to return anyone as elected.
He noted that the power to declare a winner and return rested with Mahuta and his team.
He however noted that assumed that he has the power to declare a winner and return same as elected and went ahead to forge his signature on falsified and fraudulent result sheets!
Alapa didn’t win the primary election; he came a distant fifth position.
The disputed document allegedly credited Alapa with 24,788 votes as the winner.
Ochijele insisted that he never signed the purported result, describing the signature attributed to him as a deliberate manipulation. He maintained that the document did not originate from the election he conducted.
The lawyers stated in the petition: “Our client wishes to state categorically that the result which Hon. Nelson Godwin Onyilokwu Alapa has paraded in the processes filed in the court purporting himself to be the winner of the Benue South APC Senatorial Primary election did not originate or emanate from the election which our client was the Collation Agent and the same is absolutely false.”
They further stated that their client “never signed the purported result, as his signature as appeared on the said result is a deliberate manipulation by Hon. Nelson Godwin Onyilokwu Alapa.”
Consequently, Ochijele called on the Commissioner of Police to order an immediate and discreet investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged falsification and alteration of the election result and bring those responsible to justice.
The petition also requested that copies of the original result announced by Ochijele and the disputed document allegedly presented by Alapa be examined as part of the investigation.
As of the time of filing this report, the police had not publicly announced any outcome of an investigation, while Alapa’s response to the allegations was not contained in the petition.