Aspirants of the All Progressive Congress (APC), in the forthcoming Kogi State governorship primaries have rejected the party’s screening exercise.
The aspirants announced their unanimous rejection of the exercise for the primaries scheduled to hold on Thursday, 12.
In a joint statement, the aspirants also hinted they would be seeking the intervention of the court as the only way to get justice. This comes barely three days to the primary.
A screening committee headed by Senator Hope Uzodinma had in its report cleared incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello, and three others, out of 16 aspirants that filed nomination for the ticket of the party.
But the protesting aspirants alleged that the three cleared are lackeys of Governor Bello, who had no intension to campaign or run for any election.
Advancing reasons why the court action had become inevitable, the aggrieved aspirants said that the purported result of primaries was never communicated to them before it was published and that the spurious claims levels against some them in the report has generated lot of apprehension in the state and may have irreparably damaged their chances before the people of state.
Vowing to stop the impunity in court for its manifest falsehood, the aggrieved aspirants said that the party jettisoned processes enshrined in its constitution and has left them no chance than to approach the court.
The statement read in part:
” The delegates and citizens in Kogi have read, become apprehensive and confused about the candidacy of their preferred aspirants and or, the possibility of the conduct of the primary elections on August 29th as announced.
“Inquiries at the APC National Secretariat convey a continuing insistence that the Party has not received the Report of the Screening Committee or made a decision about the screening exercise.
“Aspirants have now been irreparably damaged, their electoral fortunes and chances pre-empted, and their rights and privileges as citizens and party members completely undermined.
“The entire conduct of the screening exercise, the manner, irregularities and apparent inconsistencies and falsehood associated with the exercise is egregious and to railroad aspirants.
“The purported report that has been published specifically makes allegations against aspirants that are unsubstantiated, misleading and entirely inaccurate.
“The Party has a process for screening, parameters for screening, and appellate process in the Party’s Constitution.
“There is absolutely no evidence that the Party followed any known or acceptable process in the screening or appellate process whether in accordance with the Constitution or Rules, or ethos of the Party or any such association.
“There are credible allegations that the only cleared aspirants in addition to Governor Yahaya Bello (incumbent) are lackeys/cronies of the governor whose Nominations were purchased by the governor, and and who have no evidence of campaigns or intention to contest the forthcoming elections.
“It is sinister that all these is occurring barely 3 days to the date of the elections.
“Under the circumstances, aspirants who sacrificed and committed significant resources including N22.5 Million in purchasing Nomination Forms, and campaigns across the state are constrained to consider their remedies under any prevailing laws and to the fullest extent of such laws.
“Such remedies include pre-emptive action in the coming hours that could prevent the APC from conducting the primaries slated for August 29th.
“While aspirants recognize the magnitude of, and unintended consequences of outcomes associated with pursuing the enforcement of their rights, the brazenness and impunity characterizing the conduct and handling of the Kogi screening exercise make it inevitable that aspirants proceed in a manner that reserves their rights under law”.
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