By Mardiyyah Abubakar
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has defended the substitution of some candidates after its primaries, insisting the changes followed a transparent internal appeal process and complied with the law.
Speaking during a televised interview on Tuesday, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, disclosed that the party received and reviewed more than 720 petitions from aggrieved aspirants before approving any changes to the list of candidates.
According to Morka, the petitions were first examined by the party’s appeal committees, whose recommendations were subsequently reviewed by the National Working Committee (NWC) before final decisions were taken.
“We received over 720 petitions from those who contested in the election. At the end of the process, we made those changes. These are legitimate outcomes of our primaries,” he said.
He dismissed allegations that the APC breached the Electoral Act by replacing candidates after the conduct of its primaries, maintaining that the primary election process extends beyond the voting exercise.
“The appeal process is an integral part of the primary election. It is not a separate process or one invented to cause mischief,” Morka stated.
The APC spokesman also rejected claims that the party handed tickets to individuals who neither purchased nomination forms nor participated in the primaries.
“I’m not aware of any case where someone who didn’t buy forms, wasn’t screened, or didn’t participate in the primaries was given a ticket. If you have an example, mention it and I will investigate,” he said.
While acknowledging that some aspirants were bound to be dissatisfied with the outcome of the contests, Morka stressed that every petition was thoroughly reviewed to ensure fairness and transparency.
“Everyone cannot become the flag bearer. Nothing was done arbitrarily, and nobody was simply favoured with a ticket,” he added.
He further dismissed suggestions that the appeal process was manipulated to settle political disputes involving governors or influential party figures, arguing that an appeal mechanism is necessary because primary elections are not immune to irregularities.
“Primaries are not infallible. The law expects that things can go wrong, so there must be a process to review complaints,” he explained.
Responding to claims that the ruling party was nervous ahead of the next general election, Morka insisted the APC remained confident, citing its victories in elections conducted since the 2023 general polls, including recent by-elections.
“We are working hard to win the next election. The idea that we are afraid is utterly ridiculous,” he said.
