As preparations intensify for the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), scheduled for June 21, the party has dismissed speculations of an automatic ticket being granted to recent defectors.

The AMAC APC Chairman, Alhaji Murthar Abubakar, through the Council’s Vice Chairman, Saidu Yaro Karishi, clarified that no aspirant, including the incumbent AMAC Chairman, Hon. Christopher Zakka Maikalangu, would receive a free pass to the party’s ticket.

Speaking during the unveiling of Hon. Yunusa Dantani Sarki by the YDS Foundation in Karimo, Abuja, Karishi emphasized that all aspirants must contest the party’s primaries.

“There is no automatic ticket for anybody for the AMAC 2026 election. Every aspirant will go through the primary election. Let me use this opportunity to clear the air—there is nothing like an automatic ticket,” Karishi stated.

Hon. Maikalangu, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC last month, cited internal divisions within the PDP as his reason for switching parties. His defection had fueled speculation that he would be offered an automatic ticket by the APC.

Unveiling his agenda, Hon. Yunusa Dantani Sarki said he is in the race to transform the Area Council, which he claimed had suffered stagnation under past administrations. He also pledged to bridge the gap between indigenes and non-indigenes in the council.

Addressing concerns over Maikalangu’s defection, Sarki expressed confidence in his chances at the primaries, citing historical precedents.

“President Goodluck Jonathan was an incumbent president, and he was defeated by Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. The people will decide. Makalangu must go,” he declared.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Yunusa Dantani Sarki Foundation, Chief Okoye Sunday, pledged the foundation’s full support for Sarki, stating that he possessed the credentials, experience, and vision to lead the council effectively.