- Ex-President Jonathan, Akinwunmi conspicuously absent
- Modu Sheriff disowns presidential campaign posters
- Ekweremadu visits Adamu after losing PDP’s ticket
BY VICTOR BUORO – The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to have overcome weeks of lethargic planning as it finally commenced screening of its presidential aspirants on Monday preparatory to the primaries slated for June 6 to June 8, 2022
With the party clearly demonstrating inconsistency and shunning media presence at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel venue of the exercise, former National Chairman of the Party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun who leads the screening panel has refused to be forthcoming on the processes exercise thereby fueling speculations that all is not well.
After days of silence over the Screening panel composition with likely dates for the exercise kept under wraps by the Party’s hierarchy, activities suddenly came alive in what an insider described as a “new wave of engagement after weeks of consensus building in dotting the ‘is’ and crossing the ‘ts’ by key stakeholders”
Initially, the National Working Committee (NWC) had fixed the screening for May 14 and 15 and later moved the date to May 23. However, the exercise was subsequently postponed indefinitely while the national convention was also shifted from May 29 and 30 to June 6 and 8, 2022.
Having twice postponed the screening of aspirants, the exercise finally flagged off at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Monday with former President Goodluck Jonathan, who though repeatedly been linked with the ticket, conspicuously missing from the aspirants’ list.
Available reports indicate that Jonathan, who rejected the form procured for him by some faceless groups, is currently in the Italian city of Milan, attending a high-level advisory board meeting of the European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM) Council.
Other aspirants no longer interested in the race include the President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina who rejected the nomination and expression of Interest form, as well as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele whose form was procured by proxies.
Similarly, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, opted to stay in their jobs and failed to submit the forms after procurement.
Lining up for the screening, former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, took the first shot followed by Governor of Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State; only female aspirant, Barrister Uji Kennedy Ohanenye; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Senator Robert Ajayi Borroffice and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu whose screening was still ongoing as of 8:10 pm.
Prompted by journalists, Ohanenye, who expressed readiness to abandon the race if so desired by the party as long her economic blueprint will be adopted for implementation, said; “I will never see it as a problem to my party because I am going to respect them.
“I am going to do whatever it takes to promote my party and make them relax so that they can make a better decision. So, if their decision is to ask me to step down, I will not have a choice but to step down so long as they can take over my blueprint”.
On the approach adopted by the screening committee, she described it as quite a huge incentive for her being so relaxed in responding to questions with the conversation very frank and straight to the point.
Also responding to journalists’ questions about the screening, Pastor Bakare expressed confidence in the Screening committee’s ability to deliver a good and credible job, adding; “The party supremacy is the utmost essence. You cannot force your way through a party’s structure.
“The party has the final say. And when we get to that bridge, we will know how to cross it. The screening exercise is to check who is guilty and who is not. And it depends on the people who are doing the screening.
“By God’s grace, we have complied with everything demanded. We have supplied every information. And all information given is accurate and there is no miscommunication anywhere. Therefore, we will listen to what they have to say to us. And we trust God for accurate answers and deserving answers to all questions”.
The long list of aspirants includes former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa; Senator Robert Boroffice, representing Ondo North; Barrister Uju Ken-Ohanenye, the only female in the race; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; and former Governor of Akwa-Ibom, Obong Godswill Akpabio.
Others are APC National Leader and former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu; former governor of Zamfara, Ahmed Sani; immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi; former Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; and Pastor Tunde Bakare.
Also making the list are a United States-based pastor, Nicholas Felix; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, currently facing corruption charges with EFCC; Billionaire businessman, Tein Jack-Rich; immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; and Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
Awaiting screening also are Cross River State Governor, Professor Ben Ayade; former Minister of Information, Ikeobasi Mokelu; Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Meanwhile, an APC Chieftain and former Governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has distanced himself from those that have been placing his posters at strategic points across the nation’s capital insinuating his interest in the 2023 presidency.
Denying nursing any presidential ambition, Sheriff maintained that those placing the campaign posters are launching propaganda machinery against him, saying; “a serving Senator has again started his propaganda war against his (Sheriff’s) person, insinuating and making up infantile allegations against him.
A statement by the Director, Media and Publicity of the Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Babandede Isa accused an unnamed serving senator of being behind the propaganda.
“This is especially with regards to a campaign poster in circulation purporting that Sheriff is running for the presidency in 2023 with a popular politician from the South-South and the allegations that he is into arms deals. We are fully aware that the serving Senator who was also a former governor of Borno is behind such propaganda.
“Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff disassociates himself from the campaign posters currently in circulation in parts of the country and any form of arms dealing. The public should disregard the allegations because there is no iota of truth in it, it should be seen as efforts of a mischief-maker trying to insinuate what is not correct.
“If Ali-Modu Sheriff wants to contest the presidency in 2023, he would be bold to tell Nigerians of his intention and seek their support without going through the back door or doing so by proxy”.
In another development, former Senate Deputy President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, visited the APC National Secretariat and had a closed-door meeting with the Party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Shunning the prying eyes of journalists, Ekweremadu hurriedly left after the consultations further fueling rumours of a possible defection to the ruling party in pursuit of his rumoured governorship ambition in Enugu State after receiving the cold shoulders from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.
