Screening: Fubara’s fate hangs as APC fails to confirm gov’s fate
SKAiF NewsNG SNN
By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has declined to confirm whether suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara was screened at the party’s ongoing governorship aspirants screening exercise, leaving his political future shrouded in uncertainty.
APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, responding to journalists who pressed him on the matter Sunday, gave a carefully worded answer that neither confirmed nor denied Fubara’s appearance before the screening panel.
“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.
The evasive response deepened the suspense surrounding Fubara, whose political fate has been one of the most keenly watched subplots of the APC’s 2027 governorship preparations.
The governor had barely spent 20 minutes with the committee and stormed out, refusing to grant any media interview. His mien showed that all was not well.
Elsewhere at the screening exercise, Plateau State governorship aspirant Commander YilchiniJan Bida (retd) declared that the process validated the party’s commitment to internal democracy.
“The process went well. It shows that APC is a party that believed 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,” Bida said.
The retired commander expressed near-certainty about his chances at the primaries, staking his confidence on what he described as an outpouring of grassroots support from Plateau people.
“I am confident so much that there is going to be a direct primary. They have handed over the power to the people to decide who becomes the governor. So Plateau people are behind me. They are waiting for me to be back home. And hopefully I will be sworn in as governor of Plateau come May 29, 2027.
When I picked up my forms, the people of Plateau were celebrating and jubilating for me because they know my capability. When I submitted my forms, they celebrated it. And I can assure you that this evening there is going to be a celebration on the Plateau because I have just been screened sufficiently and successfully. So Plateau people are waiting for me, and hopefully all of us will all smile for the victory when I am announced from the primaries,” he said.
The post Screening: Fubara’s fate hangs as APC fails to confirm gov’s fate appeared first on Vanguard News.
