A seven-member committee appointed by the ruling All Progressives Congress will supervise the selection of the 12 gubernatorial candidates who purchased N50 million in nomination forms to run in Edo State’s primary election on February 17.
Members of the National Working Committee attended the inauguration ceremony, which was held on Thursday at 12 p.m. at the APC’s national headquarters in Abuja.
However, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the party’s national chairman, and Senator Ajibola Basiru, the national secretary, were not present at the oath-taking ceremony, which was led by Suleiman Arugungu, the APC’s national organizing secretary.
Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, a former minister of sports and special duties, is the chairman of the recently sworn-in committee, while Dr. Sani Danjuma serves as secretary.
Adeoye Adelakum, Prince Darlington Dick, Lawal Abdullahi Kenken, Margaret Duru, and Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe are the others.
Along with the five members of the screening appeal committee, who were also sworn in on the same day, the officials were required to take an oath.
Ngozi Ononiwu, Abu Bakar Sidiq, Bisi Odewumi, and Senator Ibrahim Danbaba, who chair and secretary, respectively, make up the appeal committee.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Argungu revealed that the party’s constitution requires that candidates be screened prior to each primary.
The national organizing secretary of the APC further guaranteed that the party can attest to the honesty of the screening committee members, claiming that they were well chosen.
“A requirement of our great Party’s constitution is the screening of our great party’s candidates for all elections,” he declared. In a similar spirit, equity and the restoration of rights are highly valued in the Constitution of our party.
“For this reason, it establishes a screening appeal committee, enabling disgruntled candidates who may have been eliminated at the screening committee stage to request appellate intervention from the appeal committee.
Therefore, as I extend a warm welcome to you on this momentous occasion, let me take this chance to reassure the members of our great party in Edo State and throughout the nation that the national chairman, working in tandem with every member of the National Working Committee, has made sure that the leadership and those nominated to these two committees are people whose political backgrounds and moral character can be confidently displayed anywhere and at any time.
“You may be confident that we have ensured that the exercise will go smoothly and without a hitch by providing a secretariat support team that will be personally led by me as you carry out the task for which you have been nominated.”
Less than 24 hours have passed since the ruling party approved 12 candidates for the screening process.
The successful candidates included Gideon Ikhine, the immediate past State Chairman of the African Progressive Party (APC), Prince Clem Agba, the former Minister of State for National Economic Planning, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, the former Governor of Edo, Monday Okpebholo, the Senator representing Edo Central, Lucky Imasuen, the former Deputy Governor, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and the Lawmaker representing Etsako Federal Constituency, Anamero Dekeri.
Additional individuals include Blessing Agbohmere, a former South African zonal organizing secretary; Dennis Idahosa, a member of the House of Representatives; Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe, a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; Col. David Imuse; and Major General Charles Airhiavbere (Retd).
