The disqualification of Nwachukwu Anakwenze and Cosmas Ndukwe by the 9-member screening Committee led by former President of the Senate, David Mark, was upheld by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday.

Recall that the screening committee had disqualified the two aspirants out of the 17 presidential aspirants that bought the expression of interest and nomination forms.

The two aspirants, who were disqualified because they didn’t meet the requirements, were, however, given the opportunity to appeal according to the party constitution.

Those screened by the committee were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal.

Others were Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, Akwa Ibom governor, Emmanuel Udom, former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu.

Also in the race are; former President, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN), Sam Ohuabunwa; investment banker, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; Charles Ugwu; Chikwendu Kalu and the only female aspirant, Tareila Diana.

The appeal committee led by the party National Chairman, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, has, however, upheld the disqualification of the two aspirants.

The aspirants, who spent several hours with the appeal committee, refused to speak with journalists, who wanted to find out what transpired between them and the committee members.

While Anakwenze refused to talk to journalists at the end of his session with the Ayu appeal panel, Ndukwe who also appeared before the appeal panel and had already dragged the party to court in protest against his disqualification, was also not different.

Meanwhile, Peter Obi has said that it is disheartening that the noise of 2023 is dominating the space rather than the plight of Nigerian students wasting at home and being exposed to all kinds of danger and degradations.

He lamented that while politicians are campaigning for 2023, the children who should be in school are at home.

Speaking while responding to a question from a Nigerian student when he appeared at a popular Abuja based human rights Radio and Television station known as berekete family in Abuja, the presidential aspirant and former governor of Anambra state said that the N40million and N100million being collected for form from Presidential aspirants from the two leading political parties is enough to meet some demands of ASUU

He noted that the genesis of the ASUU strike is in the inability of government to keep agreements and that “stems from the value we place in education which should be the biggest investment.”

Obi said that if he is elected President of this country, he will make Nigeria a producing nation because that is the only way to have a strong and viable economy.

He remarked that Nigeria economy is down because the operating system is in sharing rather than producing.

When asked how he intend to create a viable economy if elected he said he would start by cutting off excess wastages that is prevalent in the system. (Daily Independent)

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