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One hundred and forty-five persons are aspiring to become governorship candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s general election.
TheNewsGuru.com can report that 351 aspirants are also fighting to clinch the party’s tickets for the Senatorial polls, with 1197 persons hoping to fly the House of Representatives APC tickets.
TheNewsGuru.com has also learnt from sources inside the party’s secretariat that although reports of the screening exercise of the governorship and National Assembly aspirants are still being collated as of Monday night, the party has begun consultation with stakeholders before a final list of qualified aspirants for the primaries is released.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is said to have embarked on wide consultations with some stakeholders ahead of the various party primaries that will produce its flag bearers at the 2023 general elections.
The consultations, TheNewsGuru.com further learnt were primarily designed to reach out to some critical leaders to produce a formidable and generally acceptable winning unity of contestants for some elective offices in the 2023 general elections across the 36 States.
Sources within the party however said the leadership may have resolved not to disqualify any of the screened governorship and National Assembly aspirants.
A former Gombe Governor, Senator Danjuma Goje is said to have held a closed-door meeting with the National Chairman, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and some NWC members on the matter with the hope that solid plans are in place to have stakeholders’ buy-in.
READ ALSO: APC aspirants petition Adamu over screening denial
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Similarly, crucial meetings were held Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen and Senator Bala Ibn Na’alla from Kebbi State to discuss how the matter can be handled among the aspirants with those that would possibly serve as stumbling blocks identified.
It was also learnt that the visit of Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma to the party secretariat was not unconnected with a move to reconcile the two contending tendencies in the State with a view to winning all the federal and state legislative seats next year. A highly placed party source, who spoke in confidence confirmed the development.
According to the source: “The Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC is poised to ensure victory at the polls next year and has embarked on wide consultations with some critical leaders at the state level. Today alone, two serving Senators, a sitting governor and a former minister were at various times in closed-door meetings to fine-tune and ensure a winning unity list ahead of the general elections.
“Though the party recognizes the role and positions of the governors, the leadership has decided to also reach out to some other leaders in some states that are critical to the party ahead of the primaries and the elections proper.”
There are indications that many who purchased the party’s nomination and expression of interest forms have become disillusioned and may dump the ruling APC when the screening result is released, a situation the leadership wants to avoid.
One of the aspirants from one of APC’s stronghold states in the North exclusively told TheNewsGuru.com that he is ready to dump the party if he is disqualified and would not listen to any pleas to remain.
In his words: “Look at the cost of the ticket and the expenses that come with only declaring interest to run for the office of Governor of your state or National Assembly. Is it right to now disqualify me after such huge investment? I know all the Governors are trying to exert their influence on the party from the National Secretariat, but it would not be possible for me to remain in the party when I have an alternative platform courting me.
“The fact is my support base is solid and we are not going to be intimidated into backing down,” he firmly noted.
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