Why APC presidential aspirants are yet to submit nomination forms
Presidential aspirants under the auspices of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are yet to submit their nomination and expression of interest forms, TheCornet has learnt.
The aspirants are reportedly bothered with the withdrawal form given to them. According to a report, most of them are seeking legal advice, as they consider the withdrawal clause a booby trap.
The clause requires each aspirant to sign and notarize a voluntary letter of withdrawal before taking part in the primary elections.
A party source, according to TheNation, said the aspirants see the withdrawal letter as “a death warrant.”
“It (the withdrawal letter) gives the party the liberty to impose a candidate at any level under the guise of abiding by the consensus clause in the Electoral Act 2022. With the letter, the conditions for consensus will easily be met.
“We have never had these draconian guidelines,” the source reportedly stated.
Equally, an unnamed aide to one of the presidential aspirants said in the report that not signing the letter, which is optional, means submitting an incomplete form. He expressed the fear the party could use that as a ploy to disqualify an aspirant.
“It is a tight situation,” he said.
“Though the aspirants have up till May 11 to submit the form, they are making representation to the party leadership to have a rethink.”
Another condition the party has subjected aspirants is that they would abide with whatever it is the outcome of the primary election.
The party also ask the aspirants to refrain from “dishonest practices, thuggery, being absent from meetings to which he/she is invited without reasonable cause; carrying out anti-party activities which tend to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient organisation of the party or which are inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the party.
The aspirants are also barred from “filing any action in a court of law against the party or any of its officers on any matters relating to the discharge of the duties of the party without first exhausting all avenues for redress provided.”
