Primaries: We’ve Received Over 720 Petitions, Substitution Of Names Not Illegal-APC

The ruling APC disclosed on Tuesday that over 720 petitions have been received from party members who have voiced objections to the outcomes of the primaries held recently by the party across the country .

The party has also submitted that substitution of names is not in any way illegal while noting that no one has had his or her name included in the list of candidates without participating in the primaries.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Felix Morka, who made the clarification while appearing on Arise Television on Tuesday, also described allegations that the APC arbitrarily substituted names or awarded party nominations to people who did not participate in the primaries as untrue.

‘We received over 720 petitions from those who contested in the primaries. These petitions were reviewed by the appeal committees. Recommendations were made to the National Working Committee. But the National Working Committee of our party, in its wisdom, also took responsibility to review the reports of the appeal committees and to re-evaluate those cases.

And at the end of this, we made those changes that you are discussing. So, these are legitimate outcomes of our primaries.

Primary election is a process. It’s not an event. The appeal process is an integral part of the primary election process. It’s not separate process, and it’s not a process invented by the party to cause mischief.

I’m not aware of any such case that you are alluding to about those who didn’t participate, who never bought forms, who were not screened, who didn’t participate in primaries, all of a sudden handed party nominations.

 Look, I’m not aware. If you have any such example, please mention it, and I will go back and do my own investigation’ he said.

Noting that some aspirants were dissatisfied with the outcome of the primaries, Morka however said the party had carefully reviewed every petition before taking its decisions.

‘When they don’t win, naturally some people definitely have a reason to be dissatisfied. And this is why we took our time to go through these appeal processes to make sure that there was no case we didn’t give the time of day to thoroughly review.

What we say to them is that everyone cannot be flag bearer. Our engagements are already on to reach individuals like this, to reassure them that this is not personal. Nothing has been done that is arbitrary. Nobody has just been favoured with nominations.

Primaries are not infallible. Primaries are not immune to irregularities. The system, the law, everything already expects that sometimes things don’t go right, so, there must be a mechanism to review that when others complain’ he said.

Mr Morka also said members of the party remains in upbeat mood ahead of the 2027 general election.

 ‘All the elections conducted in this country since the 2023 general elections, we have won them, including the most recent elections we won massively, bigly, to use the words of Donald Trump.

We are working hard to win the next election, like we’ve won in all the by-elections. The idea that we’re afraid, that is utterly ridiculous. We are working hard to win the next election’ he said-Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08035023079,  08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you