The Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Mr Muyiwa Coker, has declared that the screening committee of the party made a mistake in disqualifying him from participating in the Saturday’s governorship primary of the party.
He expressed displeasure at how he was wrongly disqualified despite giving the party the best supports he could in the past, alleging that some powerful people in the party were behind the plot to stop him.
Coker, however, praised the appeal panel for upturning the verdict of the screening committee, led by former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, saying his initial disqualification was a misguided action targeted at rubbishing him.
In a statement in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, Coker said : “In the last few days rumour had being making the rounds as to my purported disqualification from participating in the forth coming Governorship primary of our Party, in Ekiti State on Saturday the 5th May, 2018 without any reason.
“On the strength of the rumour, I went to Abuja and said to them that there was no way I could be screened out , except it was beyond the set criteria. Part of the screening criteria was education of which the minimum qualification is a School Certificate.
“To the glory of God, I am a Fellow of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, an MBA holder from the University of Ibadan and Chartered Stock Broker. The question is with all these qualifications bench marked against the set down criteria, how could I have been disqualified?
“Another criterium was your accomplishments, loyalty and support in the party. In 2015, the party was in a very deep financial mess to the extent that staff salaries and rent were unpaid and legal matters were in court that could not be funded.
” I gave the party money to do solve some of these problems, the records can be verified. Since 2012 to date , I had been an aide of Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun. Again, just recently, I was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to serve on the Board of National Orientation Agency (NOA).
“I met all the set criteria and when no reason was given, I had to appeal to the Appeal Screening Committee and based on the merits of my arguments, the committee upturned the decision of the Screening Committee and I was consequently cleared to participate in the election”.
He appealed to his numerous admirers to take the challenge with equanimity and be rest assured that he would clinch the governorship ticket despite the temporary hiccup.
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