2023; APC charges its screening committees to do justices to all aspirants

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has charged its screening committees to do justice to all aspirants who purchased and submitted its Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest elective positions in 2023 general elections.

Alhaji Sulaiman Argungu, the party’s National Organising Secretary gave the charge on Tuesday in Abuja.

He spoke at the inauguration of chairmen and secretaries of screening committees for State House of Assembly aspirants and special congress committees to elect the party’s Local Government, State and National Delegates.

Argungu, however, said that any aspirant that goes against Section 84(3) of the amended Electoral Acts stands disqualified.

Newsatlarge reports that Section 84 of the amended Electoral Acts provides that: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.

Argungu while saying that screening of aspirants was one of the critical segments of transition in the forthcoming 2023 general elections, said the committee’s chairmen and secretaries would be provided working guidelines.

He said their specific roles included scrutinising aspirant’s minimum educational requirements, their sponsors, and Expression of Interest and Nomination forms payment receipts.

“It is the prove of payment receipt that qualifies each aspirant to contest, you should also check their sponsors, and if anybody goes against Section 84(3) of the Electoral Acts as amended, he stands disqualified.

“All these and more are in the guidelines that would be given to each group, and also, we would provide each group with aspirants’ assessment verification forms.

“You will ensure you follow diligently to ensure you do justice to each of the aspirants who has purchased forms and submitted same, “ the APC National Organising Secretary said.

He added that names of duly screened aspirants should thereafter, be submitted to the party’s national secretariat for issuance of certificates that would qualify them to go for the primary election.

He charged the committee`s members to do justice to all aspirants and to use the provided guidelines as a guide.

Earlier, Alhaji Abubakar Kyari, APC Deputy Vice Chairman North, said screening of aspirants was one of the critical segments of transition in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

“This is the foundation of all the primaries; we have just conducted the screening of the gubernatorial, senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants.

“But the basic foundation is what you are going to do, which is the election of Local Government and State delegates,” he said.

According to him, the APC is in government today simply by championing the call for economic and social change.

Kyari added that after seven years of being in power, the APC-led Federal Government could beat its chest to say it had achieved what other administrations had not been able to do.

“Therefore, this transition is very key to leave a lasting legacy for President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We are at the verge of electing new leaders for the post Buhari era and that is why you are chosen to spearhead it.

“Politics is dynamic and ambition is dynamic, you will face challenges, but that is why you are there to succumb those challenges,” he said.

He said he was confident that members of the committees would deliver on their mandate.

The committees are to screen State House of Assembly aspirants and conduct appeal after the screening.

It is also to conduct congress to elect Local Government, State and national delegates for the party’s primaries.

The APC various screening committees is to screen a total of 28 presidential aspirants, 145 governorship aspirants, 351 Senatorial aspirants and 1,197 House of Representatives aspirants ahead of its primaries.

The party`s primaries had been slated to begin on May 20, with the governorship primaries, while its presidential primaries had been fixed for May 30 and June 1. (http//newsatlarge.ng)