Former President Goodluck Jonathan was physically absent at the commencement of the screening exercise for presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday.
This is contrary to speculation that Jonathan was secretly drafted into the race and may have had the endorsement of the Presidency
The indication that Jonathan’s rumored involvement in the APC race was after all a fluke came early in the day when a list of 23 aspirants was released with Jonathan’s name missing.
The two day screening exercise is to sort out aspirants eligible to participate in the presidential primary of APC scheduled for June 6 – 8, 2022.
The screening committee headed by John Odigie-Oyegun, former national chairman of the party kicked off the exercise at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja without the press. The Trumpet Gathered
The party screening was earlier scheduled for May 23, 2022, but indefinitely postponed by the Adamu led National Working Committee (NWC).
Though journalists were not allowed access into the hall of Transcorps Hilton venue of the screening exercise, a source said a former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Mrs Uju Ohaneyne, the only woman aspirant and Ajayi Borofice were the first to be screened.
The aspirants refused to speak with journalists after leaving the hall.
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Presidential aspirants for screening include; APC National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello; former governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha.
Others are Senate President, Ahmad Lawan; Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi; Jigawa State governor, Abubakar Badaru; Pastor Tunde Bakare; Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; former governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yarima, former Minister of Information, Ikeobasi Mokelu; Nicholas Felix; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and business man, Tein Jack-Rich.M
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