TheCable

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it will disqualify any aspirant that cannot provide proof of payment for nomination and expression of interest forms. 

Sulaiman Argungu, the party’s national organising secretary, said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of screening committees for state houses of assembly aspirants and party delegates.

Argungu, who advised the screening committees to ensure that aspirants’ sponsors are properly identified, urged the panel to ensure that its activities are guided by section 84(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

The aforementioned section reads: “A political party shall not impose nomination qualification or disqualification criteria, measures, or conditions on any aspirant or candidate for any election in its candidates by parties constitution, guidelines, or rules for nomination or candidates for elections, except as prescribed under sections 65, 66, 106, 107, 131, 137, 177 and 187 of the Constitution.”

Argungu listed the committees’ roles to include: scrutinising aspirant’s minimum educational requirements, their sponsors, and receipts for expression of interest and nomination forms.

“It is the proof of payment receipt that qualifies each aspirant to contest. You should also check their sponsors, and if anybody goes against section 84(3) of the electoral act as amended, he stands disqualified,” NAN quoted him as saying.

“All these and more are in the guidelines that will be given to each group, and also, we will provide each group with aspirants’ assessment verification forms.

“You will endeavour to follow diligently to ensure you do justice to each aspirant who purchased forms and submitted same.”

He added that names of duly screened aspirants should, thereafter, be submitted to the party’s national secretariat for issuance of certificates that would qualify them to participate in the primaries.