By MERCY NEME

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta has cleared the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr Dennis Guwor, and 45 others for the Assembly primaries.

The party announced this after a two-day screening of aspirants at the APC Secretariat in Asaba.

The screening committee released the result in a statement signed by its Chairman, Dr Uche Uzochukwu, and Secretary, Dr Chiedozie Nwafor, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Asaba, on Wednesday.

According to the committee, 82 aspirants appeared before the panel ahead of the party’s primary election.

It disclosed that 46 aspirants sailed through after detailed verification of the credentials and eligibility requirements.

The committee, however, disqualified 36 aspirants over alleged irregularities and violations of party guidelines.

It explained that Guwor emerged as the only aspirant cleared for Warri South-West.

Of the number, 17 serving lawmakers of the eighth Assembly seeking to renew their mandate were also cleared for the APC primaries, three former commissioners also secured clearance to continue in the race.

They included Funyei Manager (Bomadi), Harry Trakirlowei (Patani), and Orode Uduaghan (Warri North).

The committee listed attempt to induce and bribe panel members among reasons for the disqualifications, while others were accused of submitting unsworn affidavits and failing to present their Permanent Voter Cards.

Some aspirants were also disqualified for failing to provide valid APC membership slips as well as inconsistencies in dates of birth and differences in names on official documents.

The committee also accused some aspirants of failing to confirm payment of party dues.

According to the committee, some nomination forms contained irregular membership numbers and insufficient ward nominators.

The committee also raised concerns over alleged violations of zoning arrangements in some constituencies.

It warned that Ignoring zoning agreements could affect the party’s chances during the 2027 General Elections.

The committee said that some aspirants failed to resign from political appointments as required under the Electoral Act.

Others allegedly submitted multiple or invalid affidavits that did not properly disclose facts about their records and certificates.

The committee maintained that the exercise was transparent and strictly guided by APC rules and the Electoral Act.

“The committee carried out its responsibilities with fairness, diligence, and utmost commitment to the integrity of the party.

“We ensured that only aspirants, who met the constitutional and procedural requirements of the APC, were cleared to proceed,” the statement said.

It further explained that the screening aimed to strengthen internal democracy within the party, ahead of the 2027 elections.

It congratulated successful aspirants and urged disqualified contestants not to see the decision as final.

It stated that dissatisfied aspirants could approach the party’s Screening Appeal Committee for redress. (NAN)

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