The NSW Liberals admit they botched their announcement of a federal takeover after an administrative bungle led to more than 100 party candidates being excluded from an upcoming ballot.

One of the party stalwarts anointed as part of the federal move, former NSW minister Rob Stokes, immediately backed out after being publicly named.

Opposition Leader Mark Speakman acknowledged the decision to identify Stokes as one of three figures to oversee the state party’s affairs for the next 10 months had hit a “hitch”.

That was because Stokes said he did not know he was going to be picked and did not want the role.

It was the latest in a series of missteps for the party’s NSW division, whose federal executive decided to intervene on Tuesday after administrative failures and widespread factional infighting.

The takeover was triggered by August’s failure to nominate more than 140 candidates for statewide local government elections on September 14.

Speakman confused matters further on Wednesday morning, suggesting he privately spoke with Stokes about joining the proposed committee, contradicting claims Stokes was unaware the role was a possibility.

“It was before the federal executive’s meeting [on Tuesday], he indicated to me a happiness to serve and I conveyed that to federal identities,” Speakman said.

“There were off the record, I thought private, discussions about other possibilities, but I had no knowledge that his name was going to be put forward to a federal executive meeting.”

Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton firmly shifted the blame to the NSW division, repeatedly asserting it put forward Stokes’ name.

He said the federal branch had to make the NSW division “functional” again.

“The way it was operating was completely unacceptable to me and we took a decision at the federal executive to put in place a council of wise elders,” he said.

Former federal communications minister Richard Alston and ex-Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale were expected to join Stokes on the committee.

One NSW Liberal MP, speaking on the condition of anonymity, described the inclusion of Stokes on the proposed committee as a “massive surprise”.

By late on Tuesday night, the former state infrastructure minister had told media outlets he would not join the committee as he did not anticipate the appointment and was unable to accept.

Stokes has taken a job as a professor at Macquarie University’s law school since leaving politics ahead of the 2023 state election.

The committee will replace the party’s de-facto board, the 26-member state executive, which moderate powerbroker Don Harwin had led.

It follows an urgent review by the party’s former federal director Brian Loughnane after deep-seated factional rifts beset the party in recent years.

Former longtime NSW Liberal official Chris Stone will rejoin the party in a temporary role following the sacking of state director Richard Shields.

Among his first tasks is overseeing by-election campaigns in three Liberal-held seats in northern Sydney in October.

Tuesday’s move follows reports into the 2022 federal and 2023 state elections identifying concerns about internal party structures including the state executive and deep frustration in its ability to make timely and necessary decisions.

-AAP