The Seven-man Presidential Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has recommended that the Party should take the “cleavage that is gradually becoming the centre stage in national discourse between the north and the south and the presidency” into serious consideration while taking a decision on who should be the party’s Presidential candidate.
This recommendation was made on the heels of the disqualification of three former governors from both the southern and northern part of the country, based on the security report from anti-graft agencies, two former ministers over their inability to meet up with the resignation deadline in accordance with the electoral guidelines.
The committee, according to our source, while submitting its report to the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, equally recommended the disqualification of majority of the aspirants based on their inability to make any meaningful contribution to nation building and to the party. The source added that they include majorly the freshers without loud identities and evidence of contributions to the party. Those that failed to make the recommended list of 13 aspirants were not actually disqualified outrightly, as the committee even recommended that letter of participation be awarded to them as an encouragement.
Excerpts of what the Chairman of the committee, John Odigie-Oyegun, said on Friday: “It is our pleasure to be here with you today to present our report. I will be very brief.
“Having been a tenant in this building before, Mr National Chairman, let me say that I came in and I thought I was on the wrong premises. I want to say that you have performed something short of a miracle in this building. And I can tread properly now that I am in the secretariat of the governing party.
“I thank you for the assignment that you gave us and our members. I know how short the time has been. I know the environment in which you took over. So, we were quite happy to also do as much as we could to make the work of the party lighter.
“We had the privilege of being inaugurated by you, precisely on the 30th of May, and we immediately started work on that very day after a brief meeting. I will just summarise.
“First, we had 23 aspirants that we interacted with. And my first comment is that indeed, we are a very lucky party. 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 on 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 youthful members of the party, some of whom surprised us as 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 sums that some of us considered princely handsome, to participate in the process. So, I think the party ought to pat itself on the back for that.
“Our report is simple and short. We don’t want to beat 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 on that basis, every single aspirant that presented themselves 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, our president with yet another member of the party. So, the ability to lead, background, experience, understanding of the Nigerian situation, ideas as to how issues, difficulties and problems can be addressed, and how the country can be moved forward, became critical considerations.
“It is on that basis — who are you, what have you achieved, what is your understanding of the nation and what you think you can contribute to moving the nation forward — it was based on that that we made our final shortlist. I don’t want to list the names. I’m going to leave that to you. But we have a shortlist which brought the number severely down to 13. We could have cut it a little shorter, but we wanted a pedigree of younger elements to surface, for them to be seen, for them to be noticed, and who knows? We hand them over to the party. And it is for the party to decide who their preferred candidate will be.
“And it is also an opportunity to showcase the kind of people that exist within the party with their youthfulness and kind of experience. Let the world know that this is a party that cares for the young and this is a party that when we say the young can aspire to, we mean it. And this has been showcased in the report that we have written.
“I will conclude by saying that we only threw a word of caution; that there is this cleavage that is gradually becoming the centre stage in national discourse 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 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 a very interesting assignment from which I’m sure all of us have profited immensely, and from which we think the party will also profit.
“Also, one part I need to emphasise. We engaged every aspirant on the issue of consensus and it is a pleasant surprise that 98 to 99 per cent agreed that the party is supreme. And that whatever the party finally decides, with proper consultation, they were likely to accept. We had only one exception who said ‘yes, I will accept consensus so long as it is built on me’. I think it is a point that needs to be emphasised. So, that gives you a lot of leeway in the days and hours ahead to trim down even more drastically. But finally, we think we should not be afraid of a contested primary if anybody insists on the contest.
“I thank you very much, Mr Chairman. It is now my honour and privilege, on behalf of the committee set up, to present to you the report.”
Aspirants with challenges during screening…
During its assignment, the committee received a petition against Tinubu over discrepancies in his educational qualification.
Sagir Mai Iyali had asked the screening committee to disqualify the former Governor of Lagos, Bola Tinubu, from the presidential race.
Mr Iyali, who claimed to be a member of APC Kano, wrote a petition dated May 17 and addressed it to the National Chairman of the APC, Abdulahi Adamu.
Also, a former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, attended the screening while under investigation over misappropriation of funds.
Okorocha almost missed the screening as he was in EFCC custody until his N500 million bail was perfected and moved to the venue of the screening directly from EFCC custody after he was granted bail.
The Names Of The 13 APC Presidential Aspirants Cleared By The Chief John Oyegun Screening Committee:
Of the 13 aspirants cleared, five of them are regarded as the frontrunners, with Vice President Yemi Osibanjo leading. The next four in order of their strengths are Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi; former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu and the former Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio.
While the former Minister of Transportation Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, who is considered as the ‘dark horse’ in the presidential contest is on the political raider of many.
Others are:Emeka Nwajiuba, Ogbonnaya Onu, Ibikunle Amosun, David Umahi, Badaru and Tein Jack-Rich
Those Not Shortlisted (not Cleared):
Tunde Bakare, Rochas Okorocha, Ben Ayade, Sani Yerima, Ken Nnamani, Ikeobasi Mokelu, Dimeji Bankole, Felix Nicholas, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, Ajayi Borroffice.
The Cleared Aspirants Are Expected To Take Their Certificate Of Clearance Today. This list has ended months of propaganda insinuating that Former President Goodluck Jonathan, will be the Presidential candidate of the APC.
