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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to reports that former Plateau State governor, Joshua Dariye, who is currently serving a 14-year jail term in Kuje prison, had purchased the party’s senatorial nomination form to contest the 2019 election.
Newspeakonline reported on Monday that some loyalists of the former governor shared photos of what looked like originals of the forms with Dariye’s details filled in. It is not clear how the forms were obtained.
READ: Jailed Senator Joshua Dariye allegedly obtains APC Senate nomination form
But on Tuesday, the APC, which did not comment on the report since it went online at the weekend, said it would never allow an ex-convict vie for office on its platform, saying both the Nigerian law and its own constitution prohibit election of persons found guilty of criminal offences.
In a chat with Premium Times, spokesman of the party, Yekini Nabena, said he has not been able to confirm that a form was purchased for Mr Dariye, saying perusal of a list of aspirants who have paid for forms from Plateau State did not show Dariye’s name.
He was quoted as saying: “I have gone to the list for Plateau State, I did not see his name. But if somebody has managed to collect the form for him, he will be screen out. There is no way he can contest on our platform.
“Somebody who has been convicted does not have a right to contest on our platform”.
Dariye was on July 12, found guilty of 15 counts of fraud and breach of trust by the Gudu Division of the Federal Capital Territory High Court. He is currently imprisoned at the Kuje prison, Abuja.