Four aspirants for two vacant senatorial seats in Bayelsa, were disqualified by the National Screening Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party for the bye – elections in the Central and West Senatorial Districts of Bayelsa State, over alleged irregular tax clearance , membership dues, anomalies in documentations, among other issues.
The former Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government , Gideon Ekeuwei ; former Speaker and current Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, Monday -Bubou Obolo; former state chairman of the party , Charles Ambaiowei ; and one Igo Goin were among those that was disqualified from contesting the two vacant senatorial seats.
It was gathered on Saturday that the national PDP panel , led by Muraina Ajibola , received nomination forms from six senatorial aspirants with only one for the Bayelsa West and five for the Bayelsa Central District .
But at the end of the screening exercise , the committee was said to have cleared former Governor Seriake Dickson as the only aspirant for Bayelsa West and Cleopas Moses , a former Chairman of PDP in Bayelsa , for Bayelsa Central .
The other four aspirants were said to be disqualified by the committee .
Party sources close to the panel claimed that there were over five different grounds for the purported disqualification of the four affected aspirants .
They ranged from non – possession of valid PDP membership cards , non -payment of membership dues, irregularity in names on certificates , irregularity in court affidavits to irregular payment of taxes .
According to one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity , some of the disqualified aspirants hurriedly rushed to obtain their three -year tax clearance about two months ago , a development that indicated that they allegedly evaded tax payment for two years .
The source added that it was difficult for the screening panel to wave the provisions of the PDP and Nigerian Constitution on requirements for eligibility , insisting that the disqualified aspirants should blame themselves and not anyone .
“The only option available to them is to proceed to the Screening Appeal Panel to disprove the earlier report of the screening ,” the source said .
According to report, some supporters of some of disqualified aspirants had during the week staged a protest in Yenagoa , the state capital , alleging the manipulation of the exercise against their choices .
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