APC congresses: Aspirants denied screening

 

Thirty members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) aspiring for various positions ahead of the coming State Congress were yesterday in Minna the Niger state capital stranded at the state party secretariat.

This is due to their denial from screening by the screening committee after spending over six hours waiting for their turn to be ushered in for the exercise by the committee chaired by, Alhaji Umar Shuaibu Suleja.

The Chairman of the screening committee, Umar Shuaibu Suleja, according to findings had hidden inside the Government House according to the state government bidding against the expected party mandate.

While the committee chairman spent almost the whole day in the government house, other members of the Committee, according to findings also avoided those believed not to be the Governor’s candidates notwithstanding that Thursday was the final day for the exercise.

Lamenting what he termed ‘undemocratic posture of the committee’, one of the aspirants, Eli Ndace who is contesting for State APC Treasurer accused the Governor Abubakar Sani Bello led government of not upholding transparency in the entire exercise.

“The state government is shielding the entire process of the state congress, contrary to the APC constitution and as promised by the committee. We purchased our forms at the party’s National Secretariat”.

Ndace, insisting that he and others being denied participation be attended to or they seek legal redress said it is very unfair and undemocratic for the Governor to manipulate the exercise for personal gains against APC interest and that of the generality of the state.

Another party stalwart who spoke on the unfolding scenario, Malam Abdulazeez Ismaila Lapai had told journalists how he had called the Chairman of the Screening committee, Shuaibu Suleja on phone to inquire about the ongoing screening.

Ismaila Lapai said he was shocked when the Screening Committee Chairman expressed his helplessness in doing what is expected of him. The Committee chairman according to Lapai had replied that ‘his hands are tight and cannot see the aggrieved aspirants’.

Meanwhile, less than 24 hours to the emergence of new APC state officials on Saturday, 16th October, 2021, across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, Abuja, everything about the screening in Niger state has been shrouded in secrecy as journalists were also not carried along.

Todayng