APC Defends Post-Primary Candidate Substitutions, Denies Electoral Law Breach
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, has defended the party’s decision to substitute some candidates after its primaries, insisting that no aspirant who failed to participate in the primary process was declared a winner.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Morka dismissed allegations that the APC arbitrarily replaced candidates or handed tickets to individuals who neither contested nor participated in the primaries. He disclosed that the party received more than 720 petitions from aggrieved aspirants following the exercise.
According to him, the petitions were reviewed by the party’s appeal committees before recommendations were forwarded to the National Working Committee, which also conducted an independent review before approving the substitutions.
“We received over 720 petitions from those who contested in that election. These petitions were reviewed by the appeal committees. Recommendations were made to the National Working Committee, which, in its wisdom, also reviewed the reports and re-evaluated the cases. At the end of the process, we made the changes being discussed. These are legitimate outcomes of our primaries,” he said.
Responding to claims that the party violated the Electoral Act by replacing candidates after the primaries, Morka argued that a primary election is a continuous process that includes dispute resolution.
“Primary election is a process, not an event. The appeal process is an integral part of the primary election process. It is not a separate exercise or one invented by the party to cause mischief,” he stated.
The APC spokesman also denied allegations that individuals who neither purchased nomination forms nor participated in the primaries were handed party tickets.
“I’m not aware of any such case. If you have any example of someone who didn’t buy forms, wasn’t screened, didn’t participate in the primaries, and was suddenly handed a ticket, mention it and I will investigate,” he said.
Morka acknowledged that some aspirants were dissatisfied with the outcome of the primaries but maintained that every petition was carefully examined before final decisions were taken.
“When people don’t win, they naturally become dissatisfied. That is why we took our time to thoroughly review every appeal and ensure that no complaint was ignored,” he added.
He disclosed that the party had commenced engagements with aggrieved aspirants to reassure them that the process was transparent and not influenced by personal interests.
“What we tell them is that everyone cannot emerge as the flag bearer. Our engagements are ongoing to reassure them that nothing was done arbitrarily and that nobody was unfairly favoured with a ticket,” Morka said.
He further dismissed suggestions that the review process was manipulated to serve political interests, insisting that the APC’s internal mechanisms were designed to correct irregularities that may arise during primary elections.
“Primaries are not infallible. They are not immune to irregularities. The law anticipates that things may go wrong sometimes, which is why there are mechanisms for reviewing complaints,” he explained.
On concerns that the APC was anxious ahead of the next general election despite controlling the majority of state governments, Morka expressed confidence in the party’s electoral strength.
“Since the 2023 general elections, we have won all the elections conducted in the country, including the most recent ones, which we won massively,” he said.
He added that the APC remained focused on retaining power at the next general election, dismissing claims that the party was fearful of the opposition.
“We are working hard to win the next election, just as we have won the by-elections. The suggestion that we are afraid is utterly ridiculous,” Morka said.