June 03, (THEWILL) – Ahead of the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scheduled to hold between June 6th and 8th, the ruling party has disqualified 10 presidential aspirants.
The Chairman of the Presidential Screening Committee and the former National Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun disclosed this on Friday in Abuja when he submitted the committee’s report to the party.
The committee held the screening exercise between Monday and Tuesday this week.
The aspirants that were disqualified have not been made known yet. But , according to Oyegun, only youthful aspirants made the list of the 13 cleared aspirants.
THEWILL had reported exclusively that President Buhari directed the National chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu to work with governors of the party to pruned the list of presidential aspirants, from which he would pick one as his preferred successor
Those screened by the Oyegun led screening committee were: a former governor of Lagos State Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osibanjo; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Minister of Niger Delta Development, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; former Imo State Governor, Sen. Rochas Okorocha; and former Ogun State Governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosu.
Others were: Pastor Tunde Bakare, Cross River State Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade; Ebonyi State Governor, Gov. Dave Umahi; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Minister of State for Education, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba; former Senate President, Sen. Ken Nnamani; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Jigawa governor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar; and former Zamfara State governor, Sen. Ahmed Yerima.
Also on the list are: Senator Ajayi Borroffice, the only female aspirant, Mrs. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye; Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo, former Speaker of Representative, Hon. Dimeji Bankole; Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan; former Minister of Information, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu; and Tein Jack Rich
Presenting the report of the screening committee at the National Secretariat of the party to the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC), Oyegun said among those who presented themselves before the committee were young people who have achieved so much that they are confident of leading the country.
He advised the ruling party to be mindful of the issue of power shift, saying some aspirants expressed the belief that power ought to shift to the north.
“First, we had 23 member aspirants that we interacted with. And my first comment is that we were very inoccupant. Those were 23 that presented themselves. We had a lot of others, prominent Nigerians both within and outside the country that had applied but for whatever reason, could not proceed with their applications.
“The point I want to make is the quality of the people that want to govern this country.
“The second point I want to make is that, we were surprised at the active participation of the youthful members of the party. Some of whom really surprised us at to what they have accomplished in life, their understanding of the situation in this country and why they want to have the privilege of governing this country. What was important was that they so believed in the country and the party that they were able to pay the sum that some of us considered princely handsome to participate in the process. And I think the party ought to path itself in the back for them.
“Our report is basically simple and short. I don’t want to beat about the bush. There were two aspects to it. The basic constitutional qualifications for you to aspire to be a president of the federal Republic of Nigeria. That was simple and straight forward.
“And on that basis, every single aspirant that presented himself qualified. Because it was basic and simple. But we are a governing party. And we are keen on continuing the process and replacing at the proper time with our president with yet another member of the party.
“It is also an opportunity to showcase the kind of people that exist within the party with their usefulness and kind of experience. Let the world know that this is a party that cares for the young and a party when we say the young can aspire, we really mean it. And this has been showcase in the report that we have written.
I will conclude by saying that we only drew a word of caution. That there is this cleavage that I gradually becoming the Centre stage in a national discourse. As between the north and the south and the presidency. And we just want to advise strongly that the party should please think of it in making its decision, address it and let it influence their thoughts because it has its own implications.
“Outside that, just on behalf of the wonderful colleagues you gave me to work with. I want to thank you very much. It was a sensitive assignment, a challenging assignment but very interesting assignment on which all of us have profited immensely from which the party will also profit.”
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