Former Lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo are among the 13 aspirants cleared to partake in the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state; Kayode Fayemi Ekiti, state governor and Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation have made list of the cleared All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirants.
Others are Godswill Akpabio, former minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Emeka Nwajiuba, former minister of state for education; Ogbonnaya Onu, former minister of science techology and innovation; Ibikunle Amosun; former
governor of Ogun state; David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi state and his Jigawa counterpart, Mohammed Abubakar-Badaru as well as Tein Jack-Rich, President/ Founder of Belemaoil and Belema Aid Foundation.
Accordingly, the aspirants not cleared to contest the party’s presidential ticket include, Rochas Okorocha, former Imo state governor; Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River state; Tunde Bakare, general overseer of Latter Rain Assembly and Sani Yerima, former Zamfara state governor.Accordingly, the aspirants not cleared to contest the party’s presidential ticket include, Rochas Okorocha, former Imo state governor; Ben Ayade, governor of Cross River state; Tunde Bakare, general overseer of Latter Rain Assembly and Sani Yerima, former Zamfara state governor.
Also not cleared are Ken Nnamani, former president of the Senate; Ikeobasi Mokelu, former minister of information;
Demeji Bankole, former speaker of the House of Representatives; Ajayi
Borroffice, deputy Senate leader; Felix Nicholas, US-basd pastor and Uju Ken-Ohanenye, the only female aspirant.
John Odigie-Oyegun, chairman of the All APC presidential screening committee said his panel cleared 13 presidential aspirants and did not cleared 10.
Oyegun disclosed this when he submitted the report of his committee to Abdullahi Adamu, APC national chairman in Abuja on Friday.
He said all the 23 aspirants met
the basic constitutional qualifications to contest presidential election but those cleared were taken based on their ability to lead, background, experience and understanding of the Nigerian situation.
The former Edo state governor also said the other criteria for clearance of the 13 aspirants include their ideas as to how issues, difficulties and the rest can be addressed and how the country can move forward to begin a critical consideration.
“It is on that basis we made our final shortlist. I don’t want to read the names which I think would leave that to you (chairman) but we have a shortlist which brought the number down to 13.
“We could have cut it a little shorter but we wanted deliberately, the younger elements to surface for them to be seen, for them to be noticed. We would hand them over to the party and it is for the party to decide whom their candidate will be.
Just as Oyegun, Adamu too did not mention the names of those cleared and not cleared as he said the report will be considered at the highest level of the party for appropriate decision.
He said: “We received the report now on each of them, we will consider it on a very highest level of the party and see how we would approach it before the forthcoming convention which has ultimate authority on the choice of who takes the flag of our party.