The Screening Committee set up by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) to screen candidates to fly the flag of the party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, failed to screen the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, on Wednesday, June 10, 2020.
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.”
Meanwhile, the party has denied the story of protest at its national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.
A statement by the national publicity secretary, Lanre Issa-Onilu, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a false allegation credited to the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Mr. Philip Shaibu, that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, instigated and sponsored protests against Governor Godwin Obaseki, one of the six aspirants being screened for the Party’s June 22, Edo State governorship primaries.”
The statement further said, “We would like to state that there was no protest at the APC National Secretariat, much less a sponsored one as wrongly alleged.
“With several visitors, including journalists covering activities of the party’s National Secretariat having no knowledge of the so called sponsored protest, we find it strange that the Edo State Deputy Governor has reported a purported protest at the APC National Secretariat when he was in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
“While we are not oblivious of the ongoing political contestations, our politicians should be careful not to overheat the polity with unsubstantiated claims.
“The Party’s leadership has selected an independent, thorough, experienced and diverse team to conduct the ongoing Governorship screening exercise, we call on all stakeholders to give them the needed support and cooperation.
“There is also a need for continuous and rigorous factchecking by the media.
“The screening exercise to verify credentials of the six Governorship aspirants is ongoing at the APC National Secretariat and is being conducted smoothly and hitch-free.”