… reportedly given cold shoulders by screening committee members
Re-election bid of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, may have suffered a setback on Sunday following his storming out of the venue of the All Progressives Congress screening in Abuja.
Governor Fubara was absent on Saturday when other incumbent governors were successfully screened.
He eventually arrived at the Plateau Governor’s Lodge, venue of the exercise, at about 3pm on Sunday.
But visibly angry Fubara stormed out of the screening room after only 20 minutes.
The Rivers Governor shunned journalists who approached him for interview.
Asked by reporters how the exercise went, Fubara, looking visibly distressed, simply said, “No comment.”
Contrary to the practice since the screening of aspirants commenced whereby committee members saw off governors seeking re-election or senatorial tickets out of the venue as a mark of respect, Fubara was not accorded this same courtesy.
The APC screening committee members did not see him off, but were said to have stayed behind and only left the room six minutes after Fubara’s departure.
Sunday’s screening session was presided over by the APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Dalori.
Recall that Fubara has been embroiled in a running battle with his estranged political godfather, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
Allegations have surfaced that Wike has resolved to replace Fubara with the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kingsley Chinda.
Unconfirmed reports also have it that one of Wike’s sons is being positioned to take over the seat of Chinda, who currently represents Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Hon. Chinda was reportedly the first aspirant to be screened on Saturday for the APC governorship ticket.
Speaking with journalists after the session, APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, noted that the process was still ongoing. When asked specifically if Fubara had been successfully screened, he said: “I don’t know what you mean by ‘screened.’ Anyone who appears before the committee does so as a necessary part of the process. Once the committee has seen everyone, they will sit down and produce a report. As of now, there is no report from the screening committee.”
On Saturday, the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, explained Fubara’s initial absence, citing official government activities.
He cautioned against singling out the Rivers Governor, noting that the governors of Kwara and Ebonyi were also absent due to state exigencies.
“Why single one person out? Three governors have not appeared yet, and they all have their reasons. They are chief executives with urgent issues to attend to,” Yilwatda explained. He assured that the party remains flexible regarding the schedules of state executives, adding, “Anytime they are free, they can call the committee and we will screen them at their convenience,” the national chairman had said.
