2023 presidential race: Jonathan, Ngige, Sylva, Emefiele miss out as APC screens Tinubu, Amaechi, Umahi, others
By Uthman Salami
Ahead of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria, some aspirants’ names, such as Akinwunmi Adesina, Goodluck Jonathan, Chris Ngige, Timipre Sylva and Mr Godwin Emefiele have been expunged from the list of the screening NewsDirect reports.
Before now, the former Vice President, Goodluck Jonathan had been rumoured to be President Muhammadu Buhari’s anointed candidate for the 2023 presidential elections.
Though the former Vice President had denounced knowledge of the purchase of the ruling Party’s Nomination and Expression of interest forms, the rumour of Jonathan’s interest refused to subside.
While the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, Governor of Central Bank, Goodwin Emefiele and other cabinet members could not complete their registration owing to their withdrawal from the race after President Buhari’s order for their resignation from the cabinet, Akinwunmi Adesina could not be reached by those who purchased the forms on his behalf.
The Presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had thronged the Transcorp Hilton for the party’s screening exercise.
Former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, were among the aspirants that were screened.
Others include Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, ex-Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Nicholas Felix, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, Ajayi Borofice and Ken Nnamani.
The screening committee is chaired by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun.
APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, and National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore, were also seen at the venue of the exercise.
Recall that following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give political parties a week extension to conduct their primaries and to submit lists of political candidates, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) postponed its presidential primary initially scheduled to hold on Sunday May 29 and Monday May 30th.
The electoral body had given the extension to give political parties more than enough time to compile the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates before uploading the same to the INEC Candidates Nomination Portal from 10th – 17th June, 2022, a decision many pundits had criticised the commission over.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Felix Morka, said in a statement issued last week that the primary will now be held between Monday 6th and Wednesday 8th June.
He said, “Following the Independent National Electoral Commission’s extension of deadline for the submission of list of candidates by political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) hereby postpones its Special Convention for Presidential Primary from Sunday, 29th – Monday, 30th of May, 2022 to Monday, 6th – Wednesday, 8th of June, 2022.”
Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, has emerged as the presidential candidate of the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
The former Vice President emerged as a candidate at the end of the presidential primary after polling 371 votes.
He defeated the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, who scored 237 votes.
