Controversy trails APC screening exercise in Rivers

…65 aspirants allegedly disqualified

Aspirants loyal to Siminalayi Fubara, Governor of Rivers State, are said to be heading for appeal as the All Progressives Congress (APC) screening panel allegedly disqualified 65 aspirants.

The screening of the state House of Assembly aspirants took place on Saturday at the party secretariat in Port Harcourt.

BusinessDay gathered that the screening has been mired in controversy following alleged disqualification of aspirants loyal to Governor Fubara.

The development has reignited the debate over the relationship between the governor and Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, his erstwhile
political godfather.

This is more so as the screening panel headed by Muraina Ajibola has cleared 33 aspirants, including all the 32 of them who are loyal to Wike, out of a total of 98 aspirants.

APC listed 10 reasons for disqualification such as inducement and attempted bribery of committee members, submission of unsworn affidavits, failure to present voter cards, failure to present party membership slips or cards and conflicting dates of birth.

Others are failure to confirm payment of membership dues by nominators, irregular party membership numbers of nominators, inconsistencies in names appearing on submitted documents, insufficient nominators with required numbers that fall short of three nominators per ward and invalid affidavits that failed to disclose material particulars relating to NECO certificates.

It is not clear what grounds were used for the alleged disqualification of the 65 state House of Assembly aspirants in Rivers State.

But, the entire exercise has generated controversy as Tanko Yamowa, secretary of the screening committee, denied clearing Wike’s loyalists.

“We wish to categorically state that the said publication is false, unauthorised, and does not emanate from the appropriate party authorities,” Yamowa said in a statement.

Chibuike Ikenga, Rivers State APC spokesperson, had confirmed the disqualification rumours fuelling speculations that the exercise was rigged against Fubara’s loyalists.

A concerned resident blamed the entire development on the governor, saying he was weak in his handling of the relationship he had with his predecessor.

The resident, who did not want her name in print, said Fubara ought to have remained loyal to Wike, but when he decided to assert himself, he should have stood firm.

“I also believe that if you want to stand firm, you stand firm. If that is what you want to do, you do it to the end,” she stated.

According to her, the manner Fubara has managed the issue has made it difficult for people to trust him, saying the governor is weak.

“It makes it difficult for people to trust you. It is weakness. What is the tendency that if you come back again, you will stand firm?”