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APC clears Audu, 27 others for Kogi gubernatorial race

By Adamu Abuh, Abuja
21 August 2015   |   1:53 am
THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared former Kogi State governor, Abubakar Audu, to slug it out with twenty-seven others to aspire for the ticket of the party in the November 21 governorship poll.
Audu

Audu

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared former Kogi State governor, Abubakar Audu, to slug it out with twenty-seven others to aspire for the ticket of the party in the November 21 governorship poll.

Among those cleared by the Boss Mustapha-led screening panel were Alhaji Yahaya Bello; Senator Alex Usman Kadiri; Hussein Idris Kashim; Alh.

Sanusi Abubakar Aliyu (Gamji); Senator Nicholas Yahaya Ugbane; Sani Halilu Shuaibu; Suleman Baba Ali; AVM Saliu Atawodi; Muhammad Abdullahi; Senator Nuruddeen Abatemi Usman; the only female contestant, Princess Hadiza Ibrahim; Yakubu Mohammed, a former acting governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Clarence Olafemi; and Suleiman Ejeh Abutu.

Other aspirants in the race for the Kogi State Government House are Sunday Ejibo; Otunba Suleman Lanre Ipinmisho; Dr. Tim Nda Diche; Habeeb Abdullahi Yakeen; Rotimi Yakub Obadofin; Babatunde Irukera; Barr. Ocholi Enejoh James; Aliyu Zakari Jiya; Engr. Olushola George Olumoroti; and Dr. Onukaba Adinoyi Ojo.

The National Organising Secretary of the party, Senator Osita Izunaso, who received the report of the screening panel at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja warned the aspirants to shun violence before the start of the party primaries billed to hold on the 28th of this month.

Expressing confidence that the APC would sweep the poll, he urged the aspirants to adhere to the dictates of the APC constitution, the 1999 constitution as amended and the Electoral Act. He said, ‘‘the committee went into details in the screening process and has cleared all 28 aspirants.

You are required to sign an undertaken. ‘’It is not compulsory, it is optional but it is in your own interest. The situation where we have 28 aspirants is a good omen for our party.

What it means is that people of Kogi State believe in our party, Kogi is APC and APC is Kogi State. ‘’And I am glad to note that of all the 28 aspirants, the 28 of you have qualified.

What it means is that within this number that we are seeing here, the next governor of Kogi State is here with us. ‘’In the next couple of months, one of you will be so addressed as the His Excellency, the governor of Kogi State.

That is why we want you to be law abiding and good members of APC. ‘’We don’t want chaos or violence. It is a family affair. You know our opponents, the 28 of you are not opponents, you are family members.’’

Earlier on, Mustapha disclosed that his panel was left with no option but to clear all 28 aspirants because they met the requirements.

He said, ‘’having gone through the original documents and certified true copies submitted by the aspirants, we found that their claims are correct thereby meeting the constitutional requirement of the Electoral Act. ‘’Some of your documents we had to verify by going to WAEC and some by calling the schools you attended.

We put it through a process, there was an acid test and we are satisfied that the documents that were submitted by the 28 of you met the constitutional requirements as prescribed by law.

Based on the above findings, the committee hereby recommends to the party that having satisfied the requirements contained in the relevant constitutions, laws and guidelines, the aspirants that have subjected themselves to the screening process are considered eligible to contest for the primary elections coming up in Aug. 2015.’’

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