APC may screen presidential aspirants Tuesday, expects Jonathan, Emefiele, Ngige, Adesina

The National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Sulaiman Arugungu, has hinted that the screening of the party’s presidential aspirants will now take place on Tuesday.

This came just as the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) expects the screening panel would screen former President Goodluck Jonathan, Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Chris Ngige, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele and African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwunmi Adesina.

On Sunday the party announced the indefinite postponement of the screening initially slated to hold today, Monday May 23.

But Arugungu confirmed in an interview with The Nation that it was shifted from Monday to Tuesday.

He said, “As far as the party is concerned all the 28 aspirants that paid and picked the forms for the nomination as presidential aspirants, nobody has formally written to us that he has withdrawn his aspiration.

“All the forms of the 28 aspirants will be taken to the screening committee, not tomorrow (Monday), but on Tuesday, God’s willing, at Transcop Hilton Hotel.”

Arugungu said the panel would be constituted today.

“But we have to consult with our leaders before we make it public. By tomorrow (Monday) we will know who are the panellists,” Arugungu assured.

The party’s NWC expects all those who bought its presidential application and expression of interest forms will be screened.

Although the nomination forms were obtained for the four, they never submitted the forms to the party before the close of submission.

Presidential aspirants such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan and 21 others will also appear tomorrow before the screening committee.

The seven-man panel set up by the NWC is made up of a member from each of the six geo-political zones.

The major work of the committee is to scrutinise the nomination documents of the contenders ahead of the primary slated for Saturday.

Other aspirants expected at the exercise are former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, former Minister of Niger Delta Development Senator Godswill Akpabio, former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosu.

Others are Pastor Tunde Bakare, Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade, his Ebonyi State counterpart, Governor Dave Umahi, Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, Minister of State for Education Emeka Nwajiuba, former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Jigawa State Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and former Zamfara State Governor Ahmed Yerima.

Others are Senator Ajayi Borroffice, the only female aspirant, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo, former House of Representatives Speaker Dimeji Bankole, former Minister of Information Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu and Mr Tein Jack Rich.