
CBN Governor, Technology Minister, Others Buy By Proxy
By Akombo Aondona Abuja
At the best of times getting to elect the standard-bearer of any big political party between just two strong aspirants at its presidential primary is no small endeavor. Add the fact that the party in question is the ruling power in a multi-ethnic country where marginalization is the most bandied word among the agglomeration of tribes and tongues. Lob in the point that the incumbent is from a part of the country the other half says has had its turn and now is there time. Then you will begin to understand the binds in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) is daily being entwined as its 30 May, 2022 presidential primary approaches.
At the last count, no fewer than 20 presidential aspirants have bought the eye-watering N100 million expression of interest and nomination forms of the APC. This figure is limited to those whose names are in the public domain. Public affairs analysts expect more to emerge from the wood work as some aspirants – for whatever reasons – are buying the forms by proxy and in secrecy too.
While reporters on politics beats expect and indeed are used to aspirants storming the parties’ headquarters with fanfare and their supporters to buy any primaries’ forms, some APC presidential aspirants are going against this norm, hence the media can only limit themselves to the numbers who have publicly revealed their purchase of the APC presidential form.

Anyway, more surprises came the way of Nigerians on Friday, 6 May, 2022 as it emerged that Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has picked up the APC presidential forms.
Also, The Dream Daily Newspaper can report that the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has also joined the presidential bandwagon on the platform of the ruling APC.
With this development, Emefiele has put to rest months of speculations surrounding his presidential ambition.

Sources at the Taraba Hall of the International Conference Center (ICC) Abuja where APC presidential and governorship forms are being obtained confirmed that Sulaiman Argungu, APC national organising secretary, presented the documents to Emefiele’s representatives.
Also, Onu reportedly picked his form by proxy on Friday.
So far, presidential aspirants who have purchased the APC forms included former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Mohammed Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Ben Ayade (Cross River); ex-Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; Se. Ibikunle Amosun, former Ogun governor; and Mr. Adams Oshiomhole former Edo governor.
Others are Chris Ngige, Labour Minister; Sen. Ken Nnamani, former Senate President; Mr. Tunde Bakare, General Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church; Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Ahmad Lawan, President of the Senate; Mazi Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for education; Uju Ohanenye, first female aspirant; and Mr. Nicholas Felix, a 40-year-old U.S.-Founder/General Overseer of Miracle Center International Inc.
Sources disclosed that the plan by powerful party men in the APC, allegedly including President Buhari, who favoured picking a consensus candidate at the presidential primary may have unraveled in their hands with the deluge of aspirants now before the National Chairman of the party, Sen. Adamu Abdullahi and his exco.
“No one can tell you how this is going to end at our presidential primary because this is unprecedented. Not even President Buhari. Don’t believe whatever anyone tells you to the contrary. This is a big headache for all of us in the APC right now. Yes, as you said, some aspirants may step down for others but when? At the primaries ground with the tight time forced on us by the Electoral Act? Will all of them step down like that? And what if they don’t? Just look at the names of those who have bought the forms today. All these big names and their big egos would step down before May 30th for one candidate? We are heading for a logistical nightmare at the Eagle Square. The outcome is in the air. Nobody can tell me otherwise,” a source in the APC who pleaded anonymity said.
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