The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has upheld the reports of the screening and appeal committees for the Bayelsa Governorship aspirants.
In Kogi, the National Working Committee approved nine aspirants, knocking off two sons of a former governor, Late Abubakar, out of the 16 screened to contest the party’s primaries scheduled to hold on Thursday, August 29.
National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in Abuja said that the final list followed the NWC’s deliberations on the report of screening and appeal committees for the party’s Kogi governorship aspirants.
“After a comprehensive review of the submissions by the two committees, relying on the party’s guidelines and the provisions of the Electoral Act, nine aspirants were finally cleared to contest the August 29, 2019 Indirect Governorship primary.
“Seven other aspirants did not meet the requirements for participation in the exercise.
“Those cleared by the NWC are Governor Yahaya Bello, Hadiza Ibrahim, Yahaya Audu, Sani Abdullahi, Abubakar Bashir, Danlami Mohammed, Yakubu Mohammed, Hassan Abdullahi and Blessing Ekele.
“The aspirants who are not cleared are Prof. Mohammed Onalo, Usman Jibrin, Mustapha Mona Audu, Rukkaya Ibrahim, Gen. Patrick Akpa, Babatunde Irukera, and Muhammed Audu,” Issa-Onilu said.
On Bayesa, Onilu said in another statement, of the total seven governorship aspirants in Bayelsa that were screened, six were cleared to participate in the governorship primary in Bayelsa state. They are: Mr. Aganaba Preye Steven, Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Prince Ebitimi Christopher Amgbare, Ms. Diseye Nsirim Poweigha, Mr. Lyon David Pereworimini, and Engr. Prof (Mrs.) Ongoebi Maureen Etebu.
He adds, “Dr. Briyai Oyeins Frankland was not cleared to participate in the Party’s governorship primary .
“The APC NWC upheld the disqualification of Dr. Briyai Oyeins Frankland based on Section 3 Paragraph “L” of the Party’s guidelines for the nomination of candidates which requires that aspirants are card-carrying member of the party for a period of one year.
“The party also found no record of his membership of APC and was therefore considered ineligible.”