The All Progressives Congress disqualified 14 aspirants from its House of Representatives primary election on Friday, a day before the party’s nationwide primaries were scheduled to hold. Felix Morka said the affected aspirants took part in the screening exercise but were not cleared.
The party said all duly registered members can vote in the ongoing primary elections and do not need to show proof of payment of APC membership dues at the polls. Morka said proof of dues payment applied only to aspirants and their nominators when they submitted expression of interest and nomination forms and during screening. He said the screening exercise was conducted by the party’s screening committees in line with established procedures and guidelines.
The disqualifications landed across several states, including Ondo, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Kogi and Rivers. In Ondo, the party barred Adefisoye Tajudeen from Idanre/Ifedore, Olusegun Ategbole and Seun Ajongbolo from Akoko south-east/south-west, Arowole Samuel from Owo/Ose, and Morufu Ibrahim, Oseni Oyeniyi and Olaleye Adedipe from Akoko north-east/north-west. Bashir Bello was disqualified in Bauchi for Darazo/Ganjuwa, Idu Igariwe in Ebonyi for Afikpo-Edda, Sanni Ogembe in Kogi for Okene/Ogori/Magongo, and John Opara, Anderson Igbiki, Awaji Abirite and Boma Goodhead in Rivers for their various federal constituencies.
The Ondo list was the most politically sensitive because three of the affected aspirants were endorsed by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa. Those named as his picks were Tajudeen Adefisoye, Victor Ategbole and Samuel Arowele, according to the facts supplied. But the party’s statement did not give reasons for any of the disqualifications, leaving the screening outcome unexplained even as voting was due to start.
That matters because the APC was set to hold House of Representatives primaries across the country on Saturday, with direct primaries also taking place across Ondo’s 203 wards the same day. The party’s message was clear on who can vote, but silent on why 14 aspirants were pushed out after screening, and that is the point still hanging over the race.
