The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday screened some governorship aspirants of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among those screened were the Governors of Katsina State, Dikko Umaru Radda; Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal; Cross River State, Bassey Otu; Kaduna State, Uba Sani; Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf; and Enugu State Governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah.
Speaking with journalists after his screening, Governor Otu described the opposition parties as too weak to pose any serious threat to the ruling APC.
The Cross River governor said the APC remained strong both at the national level and in his state, expressing confidence that the party would secure victory for both himself and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
According to him, President Tinubu has performed creditably well within three years in office.
“They don’t have it. Can you mention one president that has done what this President has done in under three years in all areas?
“I believe he has excelled, considering the situation and where we took over from. I believe he has done well. All we can do as a party is come together.
“The party is now bigger than it used to be, and you can imagine what is going on. It is like a tsunami,” he said. Otu also commended the screening process, describing it as thorough and capable of producing competent leaders for the country.
“The process here is very thorough. The party has raised its standards in almost every sector you can think of. The questions were detailed, and I believe Nigeria will benefit from this because it will produce diligent leaders,” he added.
The governor further declared that President Tinubu enjoys overwhelming support in Cross River State. “We don’t have any storm.
In my state, it is just one mantra, ‘Jagaban all the way.’ We don’t have issues. Cross River is an APC State to the core and to its very foundation,” he said.
Also speaking after the exercise, Governor Mbah described the screening as seamless and well organised, saying it reflected the APC’s strong internal structure.
“The process was seamless and smooth. It shows how structured and well-organised our party is. What we pledged during the screening process is to uphold the values of our party and ensure that we take the message of what this party and this government are doing to Nigerians across all the nooks and crannies of the country,” he said.
Mbah added that the APC had become a model for party organisation on the African continent. “It was a very seamless process.
It underscores how structured the APC is, and perhaps this is a party defining the model of party organisation on the continent.
“We hope that others will borrow a leaf from what we are doing. It was well-structured and seamless,” he stated. On the possibility of a consensus arrangement in Enugu State, the governor said the people of the state value unity.
“In Enugu, we have always done things as brothers. We understand the value and significance of unity, and that is what we will continue to uphold,” he added.
