By Nurudeen Shotayo

The APC screening committee had asked the National Working Committee to prune the list of aspirants down from 23 to 13.

Former Imo state Governor, Rochas Okorocha and the serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare are among the 10 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirants not shortlisted by the screening committee, report has claimed.

Recall that the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led Presidential Screening committee had recommended that the number of contestants be pruned down to 13 from 23.

While presenting his report to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, Oyegun said his committee considered age and other parameters in choosing the 13 aspirants considered fit for the race.

He said their ideas on how difficult issues and problems could be addressed and how they could move the country forward also became a critical consideration at the screening.

“It is on that bases, that who you are, what are you and what have you achieved.

“And the understanding of your mission and what you think you can do to move the country forward made our final list.

“I don’t want to read the names, I think we will leave that to you, but we have a short list which brought the number severely down to 13.

“We could have cut it a little shorter, but we wanted deliberately all the younger elements to surface,” Odigie-Oyegun said.

The refusal of the former APC National Chairman to mention the names of the not-shortlisted aspirants has given birth to speculations about the who has actually been dropped.

Meanwhile, in a post on her Twitter page on Saturday, June 4, 2022, veteran journalist, Kadaria Ahmed, listed the names of the aspirants that would be dropped from the race.

She said “according to insiders” the following aspirants have been dropped; Tunde Bakare, Rochas Okorocha, Ben Ayade, Sani Yerima, Ken Nnamani, Ikeobasi Mokelu, Dimeji Bankole, Felix Nicholas, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, and Ajayi Boroffice.

Bakare, Okorocha, others dropped by APC presidential screening committee

If this were to be true, it rubbishes the rumours that the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was among those not certified fit to contest the election.

Other aspirants that also made the 13-man list include Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, Governor Fayemi Kayode of Ekiti state, and former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba.

Others are former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun and Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi, Governor Badaru Abubakar of Kebbi state, former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and businessman Tein Jack-Rich.