By Joy Odor Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) kicked off its Ekiti State governorship screening in Abuja on Monday with more questions than answers, after it emerged that only four aspirants had submitted forms to contest the party’s ticket.
The screening exercise, chaired by Hon. Abdulraheem Tunji Olawuyi, a three-term House of Representatives member from Kwara State and Chairman of the House Committee on the North Central Development Commission, was inaugurated alongside the Screening Appeal Committee at the APC National Secretariat.
Olawuyi told journalists shortly after the inuguration that the panel’s mandate was “very simple to verify and check all documents submitted by the aspirants, to ensure APC presents a credible candidate at the election.”
He stressed the need to avoid embarrassment at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stage, adding: “As a loyal party member, I promise we will deliver on all fronts.”
But the small number of aspirants immediately drew suspicion as Reporters questioned the Committee on whether governors were influencing the process, noting the party’s reputation for “not playing with their governors.”
Olawuyi dismissed the claims, insisting there were no secret directives or undue influence:
“So far before now and immediately after the inauguration, nobody has called me to give me any instruction. I have just been given the party’s guidelines. I have contested three successful elections and passed through screening myself. This is going to be our guide there is no special instruction.”
Olawuyi pushed back against insinuations of gubernatorial interference.
He declared that the committee would operate strictly by party rules and election guidelines, not personal whims.
Despite the tension, the Committee unveiled its timetable: screening begins tomorrow, with two aspirants per day to wrap up the exercise quickly.
Olawuyi pledging that the party would emerge stronger, more united, and committed to presenting a candidate capable of winning the Ekiti governorship.
Still, with only four aspirants in the race, pointed questions from the press about transparency, fairness, and possible backroom influence have cast a shadow over the process.
As the APC navigates these early controversies, the Ekiti screening exercise has become a test case for the party’s credibility and a potential talking point for the opposition heading into 2025.
