Rivers guber: APC screens Fubara; sources dismiss poor reception claims

By Omeiza Ajayi

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, on Sunday appeared before the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship screening panel, with sources close to him dismissing claims that he was poorly received during the exercise.

There had been speculation that the governor left the session dissatisfied, but insiders who spoke to Vanguard under condition of anonimity said his early exit was in line with the screening process, describing his interaction with the panel as brief and procedural.

According to the sources, Fubara was simply asked to “take a bow and go” after completing his appearance, a standard directive given to aspirants after their screening.

The party has so far screened two Rivers State governorship aspirants — Fubara and a member of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda — ahead of the primary election.

Fubara reportedly spent less than 20 minutes before the committee and declined to speak with journalists after the session.

The screening committee is expected to submit its report, after which aspirants will know their status and whether to approach the Screening Appeal Committee.

Responding to enquiries, APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, gave a guarded response on the exercise.

“I don’t know what you mean by screen. Anybody who appears before the screening committee, of course, is necessary as part of the process. After appearing before the screening committee, the screening committee will issue its report. As of now, the screening committee, having completed seeing everybody it is supposed to see, will now sit down and come out with its report. As of now, there is no report of the screening committee,” Basiru said.

Elsewhere, a Plateau State governorship aspirant, Commander Yilchini Jan Bida (retd), described the screening exercise as a demonstration of the party’s commitment to internal democracy.

“The process went well. It shows that APC is a party that believes in internal democracy. They want to create an open field, a level playing ground for anybody who feels he has something to offer to his state to participate in the election,” he said.

Bida also expressed confidence in his chances at the primaries, citing what he described as strong grassroots support in Plateau State.

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