2023: APC Names Only 3 Aspirants Who Refuse To Submit Presidential Forms

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has revealed those who did not submit their presidential nomination and expression of interest forms after the purchase.

The party also confirmed that about 25 forms were submitted.

Speaking on Channels Television on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka, said 25 forms were filled and submitted.

According to him, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele and the Minister of Petroleum for State, Timipreye Sylva, did not submit their forms.

“For some of them, it’s a bit iffy. What I have this time, we’ve 28 who purchased form and at the last count, we have 25 who made submission.

“But three of them did not. They’re Senator Chris Ngige, Godwin Emefiele and then we have Timipre Sylva,” he said.

However, this could suggest that the presidential forms bought for the likes of former President Goodluck Jonathan and African Development Bank boss, Akinwumi Adesina, were actually submitted.

The AfDB President Adesina, had recently dismissed claims that he is running for the presidency.

This was after a coalition of 28 groups purchased and submitted the nomination and expression of interest forms of the APC on behalf of Adesina.

Though Adesina in a statement issued on Tuesday, maintained that he is not running for president, it is not clear if those who bought the forms have the capacity to fill them by themselves and also submit them.

There are speculations that the APC postponed the screening of its presidential aspirants to May 23 to allow Jonathan and others to submit their nomination forms, but the party’s mouthpiece could confirm that all forms, including that of Jonathan, have been submitted except three.

Former President of Nigeria, Jonathan had said he didn’t authorize the APC presidential nomination form purchased for him by the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders’ Association.

The former President, through a statement issued in Abuja by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, said he had no link to the northern coalition that purchased the form.

He admonished those behind the charade to desist from further defacing his name and urged Nigerians to disregard it.

But barely 48 hours after dissociating himself from moves by some groups to draft him into the 2023 presidential race, Jonathan reportedly joined the APC in Bayelsa and finally made up his mind to vie for the top post.