After weeks of sluggish preparations for its presidential convention, things appeared to have picked up for the ruling All Progressives Congress APC as it finally began screening its presidential aspirants on Monday.
The party which had continued to maintain utmost secrecy regarding the exercise also barred journalists from the venue.
Chairman of the screening panel and former National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun did not immediately respond to Vanguard’s inquiries regarding the activities of his team.
The development came as a former Governor of Borno state and chieftain of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff denounced those who have launched a presidential campaign for him by placing his posters in strategic points across the nation’s capital.
Also, former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu was on Monday at the national secretariat of the APC where he had a closed door session with its National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
Although he did not speak to journalists, Ekweremadu’s visit to the ruling party’s national chairman on Monday has fueled defection rumours following his loss in recent Peoples Democratic Party PDP governorship primary election in Enugu state.
Epileptic start to Convention
Since the party few days ago indefinitely postponed the screening, it has kept mum regarding the composition of the screening panel and new date for the exercise.
First to be screened was the former Minister of state did Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, only female aspirant, Uji Kennedy Ohanenye, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Senator Robert Ajayi Borroffice and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who was still being screens as of 8:10pm.
Ohanenye told journalists that she would step down if the party asked her to do so as long as the party will be willing to carry on with her economic blueprint.
She said; “I will never see it as a problem to my party because I am going to respect them. I am going to do whatever it takes to promote my party and make them relax so that they can make a better decision.
“So, if their decision is to ask me to step down, I will not have choice than to step down so long as they can take over my blueprint”.
She disclosed further that the approach deployed by the screening committee was quite a huge incentive for her as she was more relaxed in responding to questions and the conversation was very frank and straight to the points.
On his part, Pastor Bakare expressed confidence in the ability of the screening committee to come up with a credible report.
He said; “The party supremacy is the utmost essence. You cannot force your way through a party’s structure. The party has the final say. And when we get to that bridge, we will know how to cross it.
“The screening exercise is to check who is guilty and who is not. And it depends on the people who is doing the screening. By God’s grace, we have complied with everything demanded for. We have supplied every information.
“And every information given is accurate and there is no miscommunication anywhere. Therefore, we will listen to what they have to say to us. And we trust God for accurate answers and deserving answers to all questions”.
Meanwhile, Senator Sheriff has denied nursing any presidential ambition, saying those who are placing his campaign posters across the city have launched a propaganda against him.
In a statement made available to Vanguard, the Director, Media and Publicity of the Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff Compaign Organisation, Alhaji Babandede Isa accused an unnamed serving senator of being behind the propaganda.
He said “a serving Senator has again started his propaganda war against his (Sheriff’s) person, insinuating and making up infantile aligations against him.
“This is especially with regards to a campaign poster in circulation purporting that Sheriff is runing for the presidency in 2023 with a popular politician from the South South and the allegations that he is into arms deals.
“We are fully aware that the serving Senator who was also a former governor of Borno is behind such propaganda.
“We, therefore, warn that he stopped all such negative propaganda war against the respected Senator Ali-Modu Sheriff forthwith, else we will be forced to take legal actions against him and his co-travellers.
“Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff disassociates himself from the campaign posters currently in circulation in parts of the country and any form of arms dealing.
“The public should disregard the allegations because there is no iota of truth in it, it should be seen as efforts of a mischief maker trying to insinuate what is not correct.
“If Ali-Modu Sheriff wants to contest the presidency in 2023, he would be bold to tell Nigerians of his intention and seek their support without going through the back door or doing so by proxy”.