APC again aborts screening of presidential aspirants

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee has again postponed the screening of its 23 presidential aspirants.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka disclosed this Sunday night in a three-paragraph statement. No reason was given for the shift in the process, barely one week after the same process was shelved last weekend.

The statement issued and signed by Morka read in part: “The Screening Exercise for Presidential Aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) earlier scheduled to be held on Monday, May 23rd, 2022, is hereby postponed. 

“A new date for the exercise will be announced shortly. 

“Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.”

Investigation revealed that the screening of the presidential aspirants was to have been conducted last weekend along with a screening of Governorship and National Assembly aspirants.

But a week after, no panel has been put in place and some of the aspirants have since arrived in the Federal Capital Territory for the process.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

• We Can Overcome Insecurity In Two Years If… — Obasanjo

• How Work, Sleep, Phone Usage Cause Spondylosis, Pain In Legs, Arms, Back —Dr Oladiran, Consultant Orthopaedic And Trauma (Hip) Surgeon

• Getting To Know My Father Wanted Me Aborted Was A Driving Force For Me ―Miracle Olawale Olatunde, LAUTECH Overall Best Graduating Student From Six Combined Sets

Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that ahead of this week’s conduct of governorship and National Assembly primaries, aspirants who bought forms and were screened were still in the dark as there was no information conveyed to them on those that scaled through the hurdles of the screening process and those that were disqualified.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that the screening panels had since submitted their reports to the APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Mohammed.

An aspirant for a senatorial seat in one of the North-West states who pleaded not to be named accused the APC National Working Committee of working in tandem with the governors to impose a list of their favoured candidates for the National Assembly seats. He further alleged that the confusion was deliberate as aspirants edged put would only know their fate on the eve of primaries.

But ahead of the aborted Monday screening process, contenders for the APC presidential ticket from the South-east geo-political zone met at the weekend and pleaded with the  APC National Working Committee and other stakeholders in the party to concede the ticket to the region.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting held at the residence of former Imo State governor and Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, who incidentally is also seeking the ticket, they  commended ” all Nigerians who are committed to the Nigerian project by the wholehearted support of the aspiration of the South-east to produce the next Nigerian president in 2023.”

They also jointly resolved ‘that in furtherance of these commitments all aspirants here commit to aligning with any of the South-east aspirants that is accepted by and chosen by other Nigerians to fly the APC flag. “

Those who signed the communique included immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu, who presided at the meeting; Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu; former Senate President; Senator  Ken. Nnamani; Barrister Mrs Uju Ken Ohanenye; Ebonyi State Governor,  Dave Umahi; Honourable Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and former Imo State Governor,  Senator Rochas Okorocha.