By Omeiza Ajayi
The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has assured its aggrieved aspirants of a fair hearing, urging them to embrace internal dispute resolution mechanisms rather than actions capable of sabotaging the party.
This came as the party confirmed the replacement of several candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking with Vanguard, Abimbola Tooki, Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, gave the assurance in reaction to disquiet among some party members over the exclusion of certain candidates from the party’s final list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
Tooki’s reaction comes against the backdrop of the APC’s submission of a revised list of candidates to INEC, in which the party’s National Working Committee NWC dropped six senatorial and 19 House of Representatives candidates who had earlier emerged from primaries conducted in May 2026. The affected constituencies cut across Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Niger, and Kwara states, following a review by the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee.
According to him, the APC is committed to a transparent, fair, and credible nomination process in line with extant laws, rules and regulations.
Tooki acknowledged that the nomination exercise, which involved numerous aspirants across the country, was bound to generate concerns and differing opinions among party members.
“As expected in any democratic process involving numerous aspirants, there are bound to be concerns and differing opinions. The revised list reflects the outcome of the party’s internal review mechanisms and the resolutions reached after careful consideration of all relevant issues. Our objective has always been to ensure equity, fairness, and the overall interest of the party,” he said.
He added that the party was not oblivious to the frustrations of some of its members whose ambitions were affected by the outcome of the review, stressing that the APC’s internal dispute resolution channels remained open to them.
“We understand the disappointment of some of our members, and we do not take their concerns lightly. The APC is one family, and our internal dispute resolution channels remain open. We encourage every aggrieved member to pursue lawful and constitutional avenues within the party rather than resort to actions capable of undermining our collective strength,” Tooki said.
Yilwatda’s spokesman appealed to leaders, aspirants, and supporters of the party to prioritise its unity and long-term interest above personal ambitions, noting that electoral contests were transient compared to the enduring strength of the party.
“The appeal to all our leaders, aspirants, and supporters is to place the unity and future of our great party above individual interests. Elections will come and go, but the APC must remain strong, united, and focused on delivering good governance to Nigerians. We are confident that, through dialogue, mutual respect, and party discipline, we will emerge stronger and more united as we prepare for future electoral contests,” he said.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, had earlier disclosed that the party received over 700 petitions from aggrieved members over the process, even as the party insisted the review was carried out in the overall interest of equity and fairness.
Separately, speaking to the BBC, the APC’s Director of Publicity, Malam Bala Ibrahim, said the party had screened about 2,500 aspirants who sought to contest different offices under its platform, adding that certificates of return had already been issued to the 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,” Ibrahim said.
He disclosed that the party had set up a reconciliation committee to engage with 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,” he said.
Ibrahim expressed optimism that those dissatisfied with the outcome would continue to support the APC.
“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 party of unfairly replacing their names despite what they described as years of loyalty and service to the ruling party.
