The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday commenced screening of governorship and National Assembly aspirants, with a pledge to pick credible candidates for the 2023 general election.
This is even as the governing party has fixed Monday May 23 for screening of its presidential aspirants.
Senatorial and Governorship aspirants were screened at Fraser Suites located in the Central Business District, while those for the House of Representatives were screened at Zeus Paradise Hotel, Mabushi.
Speaking during the inauguration of the screening committees in Abuja, national organizing secretary of the party, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, gave a breakdown of the number of the contenders to include 28 presidential aspirants, 145 governorship aspirants, 351 senatorial aspirants and 1,197 aspirants for the House of Representatives.
Argungu said, “We have so far 145 aspirants for the gubernatorial and we have constituted three panels to screen the governorship aspirants. And also have 351 aspirants that have also partake and returned the senatorial aspiration forms.
“We have 1197 aspirants for the House of Representatives, with 10 panels. For the screening for the presidential candidates, we have so far 28 aspirants and as you are aware some aspirants have started withdrawing their aspirations and as such on the 23rd of May this month they will be screened.”
Argungu implored members of the committees to deliver on their assignment successfully, adding that the committees to screen the gubernatorial, senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants respectively would be decentralised into panels due to time constraint.
He stated: “The panels for the Senate is going to be four, in addition to that, we have the guideline of our great party that will be given to each of the panels for screening and indeed the appeal committee.
“We also have a set of guideline on aspirant assessment and verification form that will be given to each of the committee for the screening and also each of the panel will be given collections of the forms names, expression of interest forms and the guidelines of our party, each of these for guidance.
“We expect that this work will be done between today and tomorrow, like the previous speakers have said this are gentleman who are also conversant with this type of job, we believe this is not going to be a big assignment to all of you and we pray you will do justice to all the aspirants so that by 2023 we will have a very good credible candidates that are going to contest on the platform of our great party.
“As we all know, with the love people have for the APC we also appreciate to have credible leaders that will add value to the party in 2023 election.
“The three panel for the gubernatorial candidate will be here in Fraiser suit and the four panel for the senatorial candidate will also be here while that of the house of representative will communicated soon”.
The governorship and senatorial aspirants were directed to return by 7pm for their screening at Frasier suits, Abuja.
Some members of the screening committee inaugurated yesterday include Senators Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Lanre Tejuoso, Nurudeen Abatemi, Ifeanyi Ararume, Ayogu Eze, Abubakar Sodangi, Joy Emordi, Sam Jaja, Nsima Ekere and Musa Ibeto.
(Leadership)
