The report of the John Odigie Oyegun-led seven-man Presidential Screening Committee (PSC) was still being awaited by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday, the party confirmed.
Those screened by the panel in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, are set for the party’s presidential primary billed for Eagle Square from June 6 to June 8.
Twenty-three aspirants were screened on Monday and Tuesday. But, the panel was yet to submit its report 48 hours after the exercise ended.
The delay in submission of the report by the committee is a gross violation of Section 15 (g) of the party’s guidelines for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general election.
Screening opened on Monday with former Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajuiba and rounded off about 11:40pm the following with Senator Rochas Okorocha.
In line with the guideline of the party, the PSC was expected to compile its report and submit same to the NWC.
The Section states: “The screening committee shall forward its reports within 24 hours of the conclusion of the screening exercise to the National Working Committee through the National Organising Secretary.”
The aspirants were agitated yesterday by the delay in the submission of the report by the screening panel.
Section 15 (f) of the guideline also compels the committee to equally communicate it’s a decision on the qualification or otherwise of any aspirant by issuing aspirants with either a “Certificate of Clearance” or “Certificate of disqualification”.
The Section reads: “The decision of the screening committee shall be conveyed in writing. Upon satisfactory screening, an aspirant shall be issued a Certificate of Clearance by the committee. Upon qualification, the committee shall also state the grounds of disqualification or issue a Certificate of Disqualification”
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, confirmed that the party was yet to receive the report at the time of filing the report.
When asked how many of the 23 screened aspirants were cleared, the APC spokesperson simply said: “We are yet to receive the report. The PSC is still working and is yet to submit a report.”
On the constitution of the screening appeal committee as contained in the guideline, he said: “We are yet to get the screening committee report and are you aware of any aspirant that has been disqualified and wants to appeal the decision of the screening committee.”
Those screened were: Vice President Yemi Osibanjo; Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi; former Niger Delta Development Minister Godswill Akpabio; former Science, Technology & Innovation Minister Ogbonnaya Onu and former former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun.
Also screened were: Pastor Tunde Bakare; governors Ben Ayade (Cross River); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Dave Umahi (Ebonyi); former Senate President Ken Nnamani and one-time Zamfara State Governor Ahmed Yerima.
Others were: Deputy Senate Chief Whip Ajayi Borroffice; Mrs. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye; Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo; former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole; former Information Minister Ikeobasi Mokelu and Tein Jack Rich.