RismadarVoice Reporters, May 16, 2026
A group of aspirants reportedly disqualified from contesting the All Progressives Congress House of Assembly primaries in Akwa Ibom State has accused the party leadership in the state of undermining internal democracy and manipulating the screening process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Addressing journalists during a press conference, the concerned aspirants described the development as a “sad day” for democracy within the All Progressives Congress, alleging that fairness, justice and equal opportunity within the party were being threatened by impunity, intimidation and favouritism.
The aggrieved aspirants claimed that the crisis began following the defection of the Akwa Ibom State Governor and his political structure into the APC, alleging that the state leadership had since sidelined longstanding party loyalists.
According to them, after many aspirants purchased nomination and expression of interest forms for the State House of Assembly elections, the forms were allegedly withheld and made available only to the 26 serving lawmakers at the residence of the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Udeme Otong.
The group said they were later forced to seek intervention from the APC National Headquarters in Abuja before the forms were eventually released to other aspirants who had already paid.
They further alleged that after submission of completed forms, the state chapter conducted what they described as a secret screening exercise for “anointed aspirants” outside the timetable approved by the party.
The aspirants stated that following another complaint to the national leadership, a fresh screening exercise was eventually conducted on May 11, 2026, in line with party guidelines.
However, they expressed dissatisfaction with subsequent events, alleging that the state chapter later directed aspirants who were purportedly disqualified to appear before an appeal committee without first publishing the official screening results as required by party procedures.
According to the group, aspirants who arrived at the designated venue for the appeal process discovered that the secretariat was deserted and locked, with no officials or appeal committee present.
The aggrieved members also alleged that members of the screening committee privately advised them to contact the party’s national leadership over what they described as directives from powerful interests within the state to disqualify certain aspirants regardless of merit.
The aspirants further faulted the release of what they described as an unsigned and questionable document purportedly containing the names of cleared and disqualified aspirants, noting that no reasons were provided for the alleged disqualifications.
They maintained that many of those affected had previously contested elections under the APC and had even emerged as party candidates in past elections.
The group called on the APC national leadership to urgently intervene and restore confidence in the party’s internal processes in Akwa Ibom State.
Among their demands are the withdrawal of the alleged list of disqualified aspirants, publication of authentic screening results, a transparent appeal process, and protection of internal democracy within the party.
The aspirants insisted that their agitation was not against the APC as a party but against what they described as injustice, impunity and politically motivated exclusion within the state chapter.
