The Screening Committee set up by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) to screen candidates to the party’s flag in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State, failed to screen the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, today as scheduled.
However, four of the six aspirants however participated in the exercise at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja.
The committee verified the credentials of Hon. Osaro Obazee, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Dr. Pius Odubu and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Obazee, Ogiemwonyi, Odubu and Iyamu took turn to appear before the panelists between 2pm to 6pm.
In a statement, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said the governor had arrived at the National Secretariat of the party early for screening but the committee was not ready.
According to him, “The governor arrived early but the screening committee was not ready. He was given the options to either wait for one hour or if he had an appointment to keep, he could go and call them to know if they were ready.
“The governor, who had a Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting, went for the meeting and called when he was done, but the members of the screening committee did not pick their phones.”
THEWILL can report that the verification was done behind closed doors with reporters barred from attending the screening session.
The chair of the committee, Prof. Jonathan Ayuba, told newsmen his committee was not a judicial panel of inquiry but assigned to carry out verification of credentials submitted by all the aspirants.
THEWILL expects the committee to screen Obaseki tomorrow alongside
Hon. Matthew Aigbuhuenze Iduoriyekemwen since it has two days to complete the exercise as scheduled by the NWC.