- Submits report today as southwest APC leaders meet to pick a consensus
The Presidential screening committee of the All Progressives Congress will submit its report to the leadership of the party on Thursday (today).
The Chairman of the screening committee, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, stated this during a chat with The PUNCH on Wednesday, adding that the committee did not receive any petition against any of the Presidential aspirants screened.
Odigie-Oyegun, who is a former national chairman of the APC, said ideally, the committee would have submitted its report earlier but the large number of aspirants that came for the screening made the process more tedious than it ordinarily would have been.
The former governor of Edo State said, “We should submit the report very soon in fact within the next 24 hours or thereabout. You know we screened about 23 or 24 aspirants as opposed to the usual number of three or four aspirants.”
When asked how the panel would investigate the petitions it received against some of the aspirants, Odigie-Oyegun stated, “We didn’t receive any petition. The only petition will be to the party. The party will then treat it as it deems fit.”
The committee asked the aspirants about 10 questions including whether they hold dual citizenship, have corruption cases, have a solid manifesto and their willingness to accept the consensus method if the primary proposes it. The credentials of the aspirants were also scrutinised.
The screening committee is expected to make a recommendation on each aspirant to the leadership of the APC. This could determine the disqualification or suitability of each aspirant.
A member of the APC in Kano State, Sagir Mai Iyali, had written a petition titled, Disqualification of Bola Ahmed Tinubu from Participating in the Primary Election for APC Presidential Election, which was addressed to the screening committee.
In the letter dated May 17, 2022, the petitioner claimed that Tinubu allegedly submitted false documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission in 1998.
Iyali argued that although Tinubu is above the required age to contest the office of president, his age is not known, adding that obscurity surrounding the presidential hopeful could jeopardise the party’s chances at the polls.
The petitioner said Tinubu has to show proof he attended University of Chicago or he must stand disqualified as the opposition is in possession of his questionable credentials. ,,
Meanwhile, it was learnt that South-West leaders including a former interim Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande; former Governor Olusegun Osoba, and ministers and governors from the South-West who are members of the party, will be meeting with the five Presidential aspirants of the party to pick a consensus candidate.
Apart from Tinubu, others from the South-West that are in the race are: Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, fiery cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare; Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate, Ajayi Boroffice; and a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.
A chieftain of the APC who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said, “We are waiting for the result of the screening. Once we have the final list of those that will be contesting, we will convene a meeting in Abuja on the matter.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, had said there would be a meeting of the South-West governors on the matter to present a consensus candidate.
The PUNCH learnt that unlike the previous meeting of South-West leaders which was held in Lagos on May 6 where only unity was discussed, the second meeting will involve the issue of consensus to ensure that the South-West stands behind one aspirant to strengthen the chances of the region producing the Presidential candidate of the party.
A former Head of Department, Political Science and Public Administration, Babcock University, Ogun State, Prof. Abiodun Oni, in an interview with The PUNCH, faulted the President.
He said, ‘‘As a political scientist, I will never say it is democratic. Buhari is making an ambiguous, anti-democratic statement. A statement that can destroy the APC before the convention and that is why he has gone behind to import the consensus arrangement.
Also, a Public Analyst and Communication Specialist, Caleb University, Lagos, Mr Olawale Adekoya, said, ‘In my opinion, it is pushing the tenet of democracy too far, by the time we began to see democracy as an act, the better.Individuals must be allowed to express their opinions based on their ideology, philosophies, and school of thought they belong to.
When contacted on the telephone on how the APC governors will select a candidate, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Atiku Bagudu, asked The PUNCH to send him a text message and he would respond accordingly.However, he had yet to respond as of 9.45pm on Wednesday.
Creditt Punch
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