The All Progressives Congress (APC) six-member Screening Committee headed by Senator Hope Uzodimma has screened out 12 out of the 16 Kogi State governorship aspirants on its platform. The committee cleared incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello, Mrs Ekele Blessing, Engr Abubakar Bashir and Hassan Abdullahi, who is a serving member of the House of Representatives. ADVERTISEMENT The aspirants that were not cleared in a report submitted to the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, were the former Chief of Naval Staff, Usman Oyibe Jibrin, Prof. Mohammed Seidu Onailu, Mustapha Mona Audu, Hadiza Iyoma Ibrahim, Yahaya Odidi Audu, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Gen. Patrick Adenu Akpa, Engr. Danlami Umar Mohammed, Yakubu Mohammed, Babatunde Ayo Kunle Irukera, Rukkaya Ibrahim and Mohammed Abubakar Audu. ADVERTISEMENT The reasons given for their disqualification included failure to be financial members of the party, incomplete nomination form, lack of registration at ward level, discrepancies in their dates of birth, age falsification, and others bordering on disparity in their credentials. The disqualification came after the party had raked in N363 million from the 16 aspirants who had purchased the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for N22.5 million each with the exception of two female aspirants who paid 50 per cent of the cost. The report said: “The committee received two separate sets of petitions against some of the aspirants and are hereby attached. The screening was concluded at about 9.30pm.” The committee, which thanked the Comrade Oshiomhole-led APC National Working Committee (NWC) for the confidence reposed its chairman and members, expressed hope that its recommendations would bring peace, harmony and unity that will ensure the victory of the party at the November 16 governorship election. Meanwhile, the governorship primary election has been scheduled for Thursday, August 29, while the outcome of the exercise can be challenged or appealed against by Monday, September 2, 2019.

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