Abuja – The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday expressed optimism that it would win upcoming governorship election in Kogi and warned all aspirants and supporters to shun violence during the process.

The assurance was given by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso, while receiving the report of the committee which screened the party’s aspirants for the election at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.

Izunaso said that 28 aspirants were cleared to contest the party’s primaries to pick its candidate for the election, adding that the number of contestants was an indication that Kogi was for APC.

He said that with three senatorial seats, six House of Representatives seats and 75 per cent contribution in the presidential election, it was no longer news that Kogi had become an APC state.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed Nov. 21 for the governorship poll in the state.
Addressing the aspirants, who were at the secretariat for the clearance, Izunaso said, ”the committee went into details in the screening process and has cleared all 28 aspirants. You are required to sign an undertaking.

”It is not compulsory; it is optional but it is in your own interest.
‘’The situation where we have 28 aspirants is a good omen for our party; what it means is that people of Kogi state believe in our party, Kogi is APC and APC is Kogi.

”And, I am glad to note that of all the 28 aspirants, the 28 of you have qualified. What it means is that within this number that we are seeing here, the next governor of Kogi state is here with us.

”In the next couple of months, one of you here will be so addressed as ‘His Excellency, the governor of Kogi state’ and that is why we want you to be law-abiding and good members of APC.

”We don’t want chaos or violence; it is a family affair. You know our opponents, the 28 of you are not opponents, you are family members.”.

The gubernatorial aspirants signed undertaking to be of good conduct, with their supporters in the entire process of the primaries and election.

They were also required to abide by the party’s constitution, the electoral guidelines and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the Screening Committee, Mr Boss Mustapha, said that the committee cleared all 28 aspirants because they all met the requirements.

”Having gone through the original documents and certified true copies submitted by the aspirants, we found that their claims are correct thereby meeting the constitutional requirement of the Electoral Act.

”Some of your documents we had to verify by going to WAEC and some by calling the schools you attended; we put it through a process.
‘’There was an acid test and we are satisfied that the documents that were submitted by the 28 of you met the constitutional requirements as prescribed by law,” he said.