The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raked in N363 million from the 16 aspirants that purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms for the Kogi State governorship election.
The ruling party col- lected N22.5 million each from the 16 aspirants which amounted to N363 millions.
However, the screening committee disqualified 12 out of the 16 aspirants.
Those cleared are in- cumbent Governor Yahaya Bello, Hassan Abdullahi, Abubakar Bashir and Ekele Aishat Blessing.
Disqualified aspirants include Mohammed Seidu Onailu, former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Sani Lulu and al- most all the members of the Audu families.
A confidential document obtained by Daily Sun revealed that Seidu, Usman Oyibe Jibrin, Mustapha Mona Audu, Hadiza Iyoma Ibrahim, Yahaya Odidi Audu, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Patrick Adenu Akpa, Danlami Umar Mohammed, Yakubu Mohammed, Babatunde Ayo Kunle Irukera, Rukkaya Ibrahim and Mohammaed Abubakar Audu were disqualified for infractions ranging from incomplement document/credentials, age falsification, invalid nomination and not being financial member of the party.
The report by the screening panel also said “the committee received two separate sets of petitions against some of the aspirants.”
The report was signed by Senator Hope Uzodinma (Chairman), Senator Abdullahi Gumel, Bernard Mikko, Stella Okotete, Major General Cecil Esekhaigbe (retd) and Dr. Adamu Abba who served as the committee secretary.
Meanwhile, the aggrieved aspirants have accused the leadership of the party of favouring Governor Bello.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, they lamented what they described as brazenness and impunity that characterised the conduct and handling of the screening exercise.
Expressing reservations over the manner it was conducted, the aspirants
said: “In the interim, delegates and citizens in Kogi have read, become apprehensive and confused about the candidacy of their preferred aspirants and or the possibility of the conduct of the primary elections on August 29 as announced.
“Inquiries at the APC National Secretariat convey a continuing insistence that the party has not received the Report of the Screening Committee or made a decision about the screening exercise.
“Aspirants have now been irreparably damaged, their electoral fortunes and chances pre-empted and their rights and privi- leges as citizens and party members completely undermined.” (The Sun)
