APC Confirms Replacement Of Candidates

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed the replacement of some of its candidates ahead of the forthcoming elections, saying the changes were made to correct irregularities identified during the selection process.

The ruling party also said it had begun submitting the names of candidates for various elective positions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for publication.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the party screened about 2,500 aspirants seeking to contest for different positions on its platform.

Ibrahim said certificates of candidacy had been issued to successful candidates, while the approved list had been forwarded to INEC.

“There is nothing unusual about replacing the name of a candidate. If it is discovered that something was not done properly, then justice demands that it be corrected,” he said.

The APC spokesman said the party had established a reconciliation committee to engage aspirants whose names were replaced.

“We have established a reconciliation committee to appeal to the affected aspirants and help them understand that democracy is not a system where everyone gets exactly what they want,” Ibrahim said.

Ibrahim expressed optimism that dissatisfied aspirants would continue to support the party despite the changes.

“We expect anyone who is unhappy with the decision to continue contributing to the party, with the hope that if the party succeeds, they may still be called upon to serve in another capacity, perhaps one with even greater impact than the office they initially sought,” he added.

The confirmation followed complaints by some APC members who accused the ruling party of unfairly replacing their names despite what they described as years of loyalty and service to the party.