From Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Former Deputy President of Senate Ike Ekweremadu; Sen Enyinnaya Abaribe; Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ude Okochukwu, Prof Uche Ikonne and the Chairman Enugu State Capital Development Authority, Joseph Onoh are among governorship aspirants that have so far been screened at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) South East Zonal screening in Enugu.
The exercise which is taking place at the PDP Zonal Secretariat, Independent Layout Enugu has many others including former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji and retired federal Permanent Secretary, Chinyeaka Ohaa waiting now to be screened.
PDP Governorship aspirants from Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu, which are the states in the zone the governorship election will take place next year during the general election, are being screened in Enugu.
However, some of the aspirants are complaining that they were made to pay a compulsory N5 million each for them to be allowed to participate in the screening.
According to one of the aspirants from Abia, who lamented that to be a governor is not easy: “Imagine that we were asked to pay the sum of N5 million as a precondition for the screening.
“I know this is a way to raise money for the party in the zone considering the fact that we only have two governors now in the region. But, I think the amount is a bit too high considering that all of us are condemning APC for making their forms unreachable for an average Nigerian.”
Earlier, the party barred journalists from covering the screening as newsmen who stormed the venue were told that the zonal chairman of the party, Alli Odefa, did not want the media to witness the screening as it is an internal party affair.
But after a long wait instruction came to allow the media in though they have screened many at that time.
The screening is still going on now.