By Peter Duru
No fewer than 81 aspirants seeking to contest for seats in the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State have been cleared by the party’s screening committee ahead of today’s (Saturday) congresses and primaries.
The list of cleared aspirants, obtained in Makurdi, showed that all serving members of the House of Representatives from the state successfully scaled through the screening process and would participate in the exercise.
Party sources disclosed that the screening exercise was conducted in line with the APC guidelines for the emergence of candidates ahead of the forthcoming elections.
A party official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the screening committee “found the aspirants qualified and fit to participate in the primaries,” adding that the process was peaceful and transparent.
According to the source, “all the serving lawmakers from Benue State were cleared alongside other fresh aspirants seeking to fly the party’s flag in their respective constituencies.”
Despite the clearance of the aspirants, uncertainty surrounded the conduct of the primaries as materials for the exercise were yet to arrive in several wards at the time of filing this report.
When newsmen monitored activities in parts of Makurdi LGA, party members expressed concern over the delay, warning that it could affect the smooth conduct of the congresses.
There were also indications that no consensus arrangement had been reached among aspirants and the leadership of the party before the commencement of the exercise, setting the stage for keenly contested primaries in most constituencies.
Efforts to obtain official reaction from the Benue APC leadership on the delay in distribution of materials and the absence of consensus arrangements were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
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