The All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that it has replaced several of its candidates ahead of the forthcoming elections, saying the changes were made to correct irregularities identified during the candidate selection process.
The party has also begun submitting the names of its candidates for various elective positions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for publication.
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. He added that certificates of candidacy 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 follows 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.
