UCP board removes Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo candidate named in legal matters

The United Conservative Party's provincial board has removed Zulkifl Mujahid as the candidate in the Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo riding.

Mujahid, who won a December nomination race against incumbent MLA Tany Yao, has been named in legal matters that will be ongoing during the election period, UCP spokesperson Dave Prisco said in a Wednesday text message.

"To allow him the ability to focus on addressing these issues, Mr. Mujahid will no longer be our candidate in Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo," Prisco's message said.

CBC has viewed a court document in which Mujahid is named as the defendant in a defamation suit. In the Feb. 3, 2023 statement of claim, the plaintiff alleges Mujahid made defamatory remarks about him and his Fort McMurray-based business. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Mujahid did not immediately respond to an email, phone call or text message on Wednesday afternoon.

Gary Exner, president of the Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo UCP constituency association, said Mujahid told both the local and provincial party boards about the legal issues.

"It's a frustration," Exner said. "It's a disappointment. Not just for myself, but for a lot of the board members who are troubled by it."

Exner said the candidate is involved in a second legal issue, independent of the defamation suit. CBC News is working to confirm the details of these legal matters.

Exner said Mujahid can appeal his dismissal to the party. Prisco did not immediately say whether Mujahid has filed an appeal.

Exner says board members have given the party a list of potential replacement candidates. Premier and UCP leader Danielle Smith has said she intends to call the election on May 1 for the fixed election date of May 29.

Exner is unsure if the kerfuffle will hurt the party's chances of re-election in the riding.

"Better that we have this happen now, that this has surfaced, rather than the election being called, and then it being done before it even starts," Exner said. "Because I'm sure the opposition parties would bring that up."

Prisco said the leader will appoint a new candidate for the riding after consulting with local riding officials.

Other candidate replacements

Although party rules say the leader can appoint four candidates in the province's 87 ridings, Prisco said the board has given her the authority to fill any vacancies that arrive before the election. She has appointed four so far.

Smith appointed Calgary-North East MLA Rajan Sawhney as the candidate for Calgary-North West after current MLA and Environment Minister Sonya Savage opted not to seek re-election.

When Finance Minister Travis Toews announced he wasn't running again, Smith appointed entrepreneur Ron Wiebe as the candidate in Grande Prairie-Wapiti.

Lethbridge-West UCP candidate Torry Tanner stepped aside last month after she published a video accusing teachers of sharing pornographic material and changing children's names and gender markers in school without parental permission. Smith appointed registered nurse Cheryl Seaborn to replace Tanner.  

Smith appointed business owner Joseph Angeles as the candidate in Edmonton-South after previous nominee Tunde Obasan stepped aside for personal reasons.

Editor's note: a previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of candidates UCP leader Danielle Smith had appointed.