Ahead of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) national convention, its appeal committee headed by
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said 19 aspirants have been disqualified
He also said 18 persons
petitioned the committee.
The governor, while
addressing journalists during the panel’s sitting on Saturday, said petitions
were received against positions of National Organising Secretary, National
Women Leader and others except the positions of the National Chairman and the
National Secretary.
“So far, we have about 18
petitions before us and we have 19 persons that did not make it at the
screening level. These are the things we are looking (at) to see the merit or
otherwise of their claims.
“If there is anybody who
has been screened and there is a petition against him, we have power to uphold
his qualification or disqualify him based on the merits of the petition.
“Of course, we have
petitions against all other positions except that of the National Chairman and
National Secretary. However, there is a general petition as to whether members
of the NWC can be judges in their own case having supervised the congresses and
now coming to present themselves for election. We are also looking at that.”
He said the screening
committee report will be used as a major guide in the party’s operations, but
did not disclose the names of the disqualified aspirants.
Speaking on the power of
the committee to disqualify those already screened and who qualified, he said,
“yes, if you don’t make the appeal screening, then you are disqualified because
there is no other appeal after this.”
He said his committee’s
report will be submitted on Monday and any other appeal will come after the
convention.
Meanwhile, the Director
General, Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of APC, Osita Okechukwu, has said
Mr Okorocha’s committee has no powers to disqualify anyone or stop their
re-election.
Mr Okechukwu said this in a
statement on Sunday while reacting to a rumour that the Imo state Governor “may
use his position as the chairman appeals sub-committee to disqualify three
national officers from the South-east who were endorsed by the regional caucus
for re-election.”
The officials endorsed are:
Osita Izunaso; APC organizing secretary, Emma Eneukwu and George Moughalu; APC
national auditor.
“I don’t speculate, and I
don’t think so, more so I’m aware that President Buhari canvassed for a waiver
for members of the National Working Committee, which was upheld by the National
Executive Committee on March 27, 2018.
“Governor Aminu Masari
Screening Committee, to the best of my knowledge, didn’t disqualify or
recommend disqualification of any of them. Therefore, Governor Okorocha knows
he has no powers to simulate petitions to disqualify them, for its trite law
that you cannot build something out of nothing. It will be ingenious and
unlawful for other members to allow him.”
The VON DG also allayed
fears over the APC national convention, scheduled for Saturday June 23 saying
he believes it would be hitch-free because President Muhammadu Buhari remains
the presumptive consensus candidate of the ruling party for 2019 presidential
election.
Mr Okechukwu, who was
elected as a delegate to the national convention, predicted most of the
delegates would vote for former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshimole as the
chairman of the party “since President Buhari had endorsed him”.
“To be honest, in spite of
conflicting reports of parallel congresses, one envisages a hitch-free national
convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), on 23rd
because we have President Muhammadu Buhari who from every index is the
presumptive consensus candidate, come 2019 presidential election. Mr President
is more like a guardian post for our great party. He is the canopy covering us
all from bad weather.
President Muhammadu Buhari
speaking
“In addition those who lost
in the congresses are not only loyalists to Buhari, but are aware of the truism
that they were swimming against the tide of the provisions of APC’s
Constitution, which mandated the National Working Committee, subject to the
approval of the National Executive Committee to make rules and regulations for
nomination of candidates. Nobody has the right to reverse the national
delegates list validly elected during the local government congress.”
He said that “their
collective support for Mr. President makes it easy for reconciliation and
mending of fences before the 2019 general elections.”
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