The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has inaugurated a seven-man Governorship Screening Committee to screen aspirants ahead of the party’s primary slated for April 20.
Nze Duru, Deputy National Organising Secretary, inaugurated the committee on behalf of its NWC on Friday in Abuja.
Duru tasked its members to undertake the exercise with necessary diligence, discipline and friendliness.
He said the committee had to work round the clock to complete the exercise within the projected time frame, adding that the Appeal Committee would commence work immediately after the screening of the aspirants.
He said: “For us at the secretariat, we will also help you to midwife most of the things that will be required, and then hand it over to the appeal committee.
“The committee at this moment stands inaugurated.
“I wish you the very best of luck.
“We will support you in any way you need assistance in the process.”
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the screening committee is headed by a former Deputy Governor of Gombe, Joshua Lidani, while a former member of the House of Representatives, Bimbo Daramola, is its Secretary.
Other members of the committee are: Jones Erue, Chief Second Bakor, Magaret Duru, Prof. Chukwudi Ledirick and Abdul Balogun.
Also inaugurated was a five-man Appeal Committee, which has the representative of Kogi Central Senatorial District, Oseni Yakubu, as Chairman.
Other members of the appeal committee are: Emmanuel Ekeh, Pious Idele and Ibrahim Dosara.
The members of the two committees took their oaths of office.
Duru, while addressing newsmen after inaugurating the committees, said the screening of aspirants before every primary election was compulsory in line with the party’s Constitution.
He had told the members: “You are chosen to partake in the screening of the 16 aspirants who purchased the party’s Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to contest its primaries in the Ondo State governorship election.
“We believe you will conduct the exercise with due diligence, discipline and also fairness that the work demands.
“Unfortunately, I don’t envy you because it was meant to be a two-day exercise, but an additional day was added to the Eid-el-Fitr holiday, so we had to compress the two days into one.
“This means you will work round the clock to complete the exercise within the time-frame that we projected.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission had fixed the off-cycle Ondo State governorship election for November 16.
Prof. Abdulkarim Kana, APC’s National Legal Adviser, on March 29 directed the 16 governorship aspirants to submit their credentials and other documents for vetting.
Kana said the vetting process entailed sighting of physical documents, credentials and others, adding that due diligence would be observed during the exercise.
He said that the process was critical for a thorough report to the party’s screening committee.
NAN recalls that the party sold its nomination form for N10,000,000, while its expression of interest form was sold for N40,000,000 for male governorship aspirants.
Female aspirants and persons with disabilities paid N10,000,000 for the expression of interest forms, while the nomination form was free for them.
So far, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the state Governor, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Olugbenga Edema, Chief Olusola Oke and Dr. Olusoji Eyinlanwo and eight other aspirants had been screened.
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