2023 Presidency: APC panel disqualifies 10 aspirants

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) might disqualify 10 out of its 23 presidential aspirants ahead of its national convention starting on Monday, June 6, 2022.

The Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led presidential screening panel made this revelation when it submitted its report to the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party at its national secretariat in Abuja on Friday.

Odigie-Oyegun, who did not mention the identity of aspirants disqualified or cleared to participate in the presidential primaries, said his committee’s findings was arrived at after considering the antecedents of the aspirants.

According to him, it was a “pleasant surprise” to the panel that “98 to 99 per cent” of the aspirants agreed that the party is supreme on the issue of consensus and that whatever the party finally decides with proper consultation, they would likely accept.

“We had only one exception who said yes, he will accept consensus so long as it is built on him. So, I think it is a point that needs to be made and 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 you should not be afraid for a contested primary if anybody insists on the contest,” he said.

The panel chairman, who expressed satisfaction with the interest displayed by youthful members of the party for the plum job, admitted that all the aspirants met the basic constitutional requirements for aspiring to administer the country.

“We had 23 member aspirants that we interacted with. 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.  He said.

“The point I want to make is the quality of the people that wants to govern this country.

“The second point I want to make is that we were surprised at the active participation of the youthful members of the party, some of whom really surprised us at 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 sum that some of us considered princely handsome to participate in the process. And I think the party ought to pat itself in the back for them.

“Our report is basically simple and short. I don’t want to beat about 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 straight-forward.

“And on that basis, every single aspirant that presented himself 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 and your understanding of the Nigerian situation, your ideas as to how issues, difficulties and problems can be addressed and how the country can be moved forward became a critical consideration. It is on that basis that we asked who are you, what have you achieved, your understanding of the nation and things you can contribute to move the nation forward. It was on the basis of that we made our final shortlist. I don’t list the names; I think I will leave that to you. We have a shortlist, which brought the number down to 13. We could have cut it a little shorter, but we wanted a pedigree with a longer element to surface. For them to be seen whether to be noticed, who knows? We hand them over to the party. And it is for the party to decide who their preferred candidate will be.

“I will conclude by saying that we only drew a word of caution; that there is this cleavage that is gradually becoming the centre stage in our national discourse, between the North and the South and the Presidency. 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 own implications.”