The screening conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for aspirants seeking to contest the party’s primary has been engulfed in confusion, with the chairman of the committee disowning the earlier list of those cleared and disqualified.

New Telegraph had earlier reported that the committee, in a statement, had disclosed that only aspirants loyal to Barr Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, were cleared for the primary election, while those loyal to Governor Siminalayi Fubara were disqualified.

The committee had noted that a total of 65 aspirants were disqualified, and only 33 aspirants cleared out of the 98 aspirants who purchased nomination forms.

The exercise, conducted last weekend, was said to have largely affected loyalists of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, while allies of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were reportedly cleared.

The state publicity secretary of the party, Chibuike Ikenga, had circulated the statement purportedly signed by the screening committee chairman, Muraina Ajibola, and three other members.

However, the Secretary of the Screening Committee, Tanko Yamowa, has disowned the document, describing it as “false and unauthorised,” noting that the committee has not released the list of those cleared and disqualified.

He said that it was premature for the outcome of the screening to be released, blaming mischief-makers seeking to sow discord and heighten tension within the party.

“The said publication is false, unauthorised, and does not emanate from the appropriate party authorities,” he said, adding declaredw that no official results had been released by party officials.

He noted that the APC conducted the screening in line with established procedures for releasing screening outcomes, and that any announcements on the screening would pass through proper party channels.

He urged party faithful and the public against relying on the circulating document, stressing that the APC would communicate its official position through established channels at the appropriate time.

But Ikenga, the state’s APC publicity secretary, dismissed Yamowa’s position, stressing that the report in circulation was authentic.

He called in aggrieved aspirants to take advantage of the party’s appeal process to formally challenge their disqualification through the designated appeal committee.