PDP committee screens 5 aspirants
…as Egbu bares aspirants from speaking to press
By Tunde Opalana
After about eight hours of rigorous exercise, five aspirants may have scaled the hurdle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ondo State governorship screening .
The seven governorship aspirants that participated in the screening exercise were: Engineer Adeolu Akinwumi, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, Otunba Bamidele Akingboye, Hon. Kolade Akinjo, Elder Bosun Arebuwa, Barrister John Mafo and Hon Agboola Ajayi.
Though the chairman of the committee, Senator Sam Egwu shunned the members of the PDP press corps who have been on ground since the commencement of the exercise a few minutes before 11 ‘o’ clock in the morning, the body language of the aspirants indicated that two aspirants failed the screening.
Even efforts by journalists to get a clearer picture of what transpired at the screening was curtailed as the committed chairman, who was a former governor of Ebony State bared aspirants from addressing the press.
As Otunba Bamidele Akingboye was about speaking to the press when coming out of the hall, another aspirant, Mr. Bosun Arebuwa cautioned him that the committee chairman asked them not address the press.
Also, one of the two aspirants that displayed his screening certificate, Barrister Olusola Ebiseni told the media that he can only display the certificate but can’t speak as the chairman batted them from addressing the media.
The other aspirant who displayed screening certificate was Mr. Agboola Ajayi, a former deputy governor of the state.
At about, 3:45 pm when the chairman temporarily briefed journalist , he said the Ondo state gubernatorial screening committee had seven contestants to screen.
He said “we have completed our screen, only some of them who’s documentation not completed will still come back to complete that aspect of documentation and when that is done we will be done with the screening and then make our report available.
“This is because we feel like everyone should have a level playing ground a very good opportunity so they won’t say they where screened out deliberately
“The screening is only for today till 5pm
You can see that PDP is the party that want to give people opportunity provided you play by the rules of the game.
” If a candidate tells us he forgot and he is going to bring his document before 5pm, why not? We don’t want to give them the impression that the party has a candidate they support.
“Only if few persons are involve in this case”.
But findings revealed that only two of the aspirants were involved.
At the end of the whole exercise, acting on the order of the committee chairman, the aspirants refused to talk to the press.
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And when Senator Egwu emerged from the hall, he refused to briefed the press as earlier promised as he shunned the media stand and walked away to his waiting vehicle.
Even one of his side threatened to attack a television cameraman who was trying to take a shot of the committee chairman.
Further efforts to get a hint of the whole exercise proved abortive as adjutants contacted kept sealed lips.
