Barring any last minute change, the top echelon of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will disqualify third term National Assembly members seeking for a return ticket, from contesting in the party’s primaries for the 2023 general elections.
There are reports that the APC’s new guidelines for nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections provide that all lawmakers seeking for a fourth term ticket must contest for other positions or would be disqualified.
A party source said on Tuesday that, “There won’t be a return ticket for all National Assembly members seeking for a 4th term ticket.
“Any 3rd term legislator interested in contesting or returning to the National Assembly shall be disqualified by the new NWC of our great party; That’s why people like the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan won’t be returning back to the senate, instead he wants to be the president.”
The source said that the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, were equally planning to implement the idea of not returning their long serving legislators.
“If you observe what is happening now, long serving National Assembly members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, are returning back in 2023. The likes of Ike Ekweremadu, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Leo Ogor, James Manager and so on,” the source said.
We also learnt that the party may sanction political appointees yet to comply with the provisions of the party’s new guidelines for the nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections by resigning their positions.
APC’s new guidelines for nomination of candidates for the 2023 general elections provide that all political appointees must resign 30 days to the party’s primaries or would be disqualified.
Sequel to this, Amaechi, Ngige, Malami and other political appointees running for various offices on the platform of the ruling party risk disqualification.
The APC new guidelines read in part: “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for the purpose of the nomination of candidates.
“Any political office holder interested in contesting for an elective office shall leave office 30 days prior to the date of election of party primary for the office sought.
“Violation of any of these guidelines shall attract automatic disqualification.”
Similarly, Section 84 (12) of the new Electoral Act directs all political appointees seeking elective office to resign ahead of any party primary they plan to participate in.
The APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, had said the party would ensure that all political appointees willing to contest election on the platform of the party resigned in line with the provisions of the new Electoral Act.
The APC National Executive Committee (NEC) had approved N30m for expression of interest form and N70m for nomination form amounting to N100m for presidential aspirants on its platform.