The All People’s Congress (APC) has directed its districts and election officials to verify the status of ex-officio members before the party’s forthcoming district elections, saying that appointment to the role does not, by itself, qualify a person to serve as a delegate.
In a public notice dated 23 September 2026, the APC National Secretariat said Article 33(b)(XXI) of the party’s 2022 Constitution provides for a District Executive Committee that includes the immediate past District Chairman and two ex-officio members elected at the District Convention.
The Secretariat said it had learned that, following the last district conventions, some people may have been appointed or designated as ex-officio members without being elected to those positions at the relevant conventions. It said anyone in that position should not be recognized as a duly elected ex-officio member for the purpose of establishing the delegate list for the forthcoming district elections.
The party asked districts and election officials to prepare and verify their delegate lists in accordance with the APC Constitution and to recognize only people whose status has been established under its provisions.
The notice follows a separate clarification issued by the National Secretariat on 22 September 2026 concerning eligibility for ex-officio positions and whether officers of the party’s Independent Elections Management Committee (IEMC) may contest internal elections.
According to that earlier notice, an aspirant for an ex-officio position must meet the ordinary constitutional eligibility requirements for the relevant level. The aspirant must also show previous substantive service in a recognised party office, whether elected or appointed, and have sufficient institutional experience, knowledge and standing for the role.
The Secretariat said party membership alone, without the required prior substantive institutional experience, is insufficient to qualify a person for an ex-officio position. It added that the choice among qualified candidates remains with the relevant convention through an election.
On IEMC officers, the Secretariat said its Legal Adviser had advised that an officer who wishes to become a candidate in an election administered by the committee should be disqualified from contesting that election. The notice cited the conflict of interest that would arise from participating in both the administration of an electoral process and the contest itself.
The APC said the clarifications were intended to support consistent application of its Constitution and internal election rules and to promote an orderly, transparent and credible electoral process.
