The All Progressives Congress (APC) has begun the screening of its presidential candidates ahead of the party’s presidential primaries rescheduled for December 10.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) are among those who were screened by the committee headed by a former National Chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Chief Ogbonnaya Onu.
The others are – the Publisher of Leadership newspaper, Sam -Isaiah, Kano Stage Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha,.
Chief Onu at the beginning of the procedure told the journalists that the committee will put into consideration the constitution of the APC, the constitution of Nigeria and the 2010 Electoral Act.
He said that any of the candidate who fail to confirm with the relevant section of the party’s constitution, the constitution the country and the electoral act will be banned from the contest.
“In screening the aspirants, we will take into consideration the constitution of our party, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Electoral Act, 2010.
“We will be doing something that is novel in this country because we will really want to effect change in the country. We want to produce a candidate that will effect change in the country, a candidate that will be able to address the problems confronting our nation.
“So, in screening our aspirants, we will attach a lot of importance to the manifesto of the party. We will sensitize the aspirants on the urgent need in the area of security, the economy, job creation, foreign policy and corruption.
“We believe that those who will be successful in this exercise will now be presented to our national convention that will be coming in the next few days and a candidate will emerge from there. It is only those we deem qualified that will emerge successful at the end of the exercise. By tomorrow, we will present certificate to those who scaled through the exercise,” Chief Onu said.
He continued that the committee will excerpt some promise from the candidates to obtain the result of the convention and work in agreement with whoever emerges as the candidate of the APC since only one of them can be the aspirant.
The APC has rescheduled its House of Assembly primary election earlier scheduled to hold nationwide on Monday, 1 December, 2014.
North-West zone chapter of APC on Sunday, screened the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal for Kaduna Guber seat.
Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State was also among the 15 governorship aspirants screened by the APC.
