Politics
Bold move as APC disqualifies two Buhari ministers from governorship primaries
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has barred two serving ministers from contesting governorship primaries in their states.
The Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, and that of Women Affairs, Aisha Alhassan, were both not cleared by the party’s screening committees.
Three other ministers, Usani Uguru Usani of the Ministry of Niger Delta, Mansur Ali, who heads the Ministry of Defence, and Mustapha Shehu, Minister of State, Power, Works and Housing, were all cleared to contest.
The primaries are scheduled to hold on Sunday, September 30.
Although the reason for not clearing Alhassan was not stated in a statement released by the party on Thursday evening, it stated that Shittu was disqualified because he failed to undertake the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Read also: Two lawmakers arraigned over alleged N450m fraud
When news of Shittu’s NYSC decision broke, Shittu said he did not enrol for the scheme because he thought his election into the Oyo State House of Assembly immediately after graduation in 1979 substituted for the mandatory service.
Alhassan’s disqualification may not be unconnected with her open declaration for former vice president Atiku Abubakar’s presidential bid on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A total of seven aspirants from different states were disqualified by the party’s National Working Committee. They included, Siobe Eric Okotie (Delta), Ejikeme Ugwu (Enugu) and Ibrahim Mohammed Mera (Kebbi). The other two were Danladi Envulu-Anza Halilu (Nasarawa) and Abubakar Mamma Jiya Maaji (Niger).
The state by state break down of those cleared, showed Governor Akinwumi Ambode, Kabir Hamzat and Jide Sanya-Olu were cleared for Lagos State, as well as Otunba Alao Akala to contest in Oyo State.
Prof. Pat Utomi and Cairo Ojugbo were among those cleared for the contest in Delta State. Senator Magnus Abe was also cleared to contest in Rivers State.
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