BY EMMA OVUAKPORIE

ABUJA—The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, yesterday, went into hiding to screen the four presidential aspirants that collected the nomination form to run the presidential race on its platform.

The four front runners are pioneer Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Atahiru Bafarawa, former scribe of the party, Alhaji Usman Bugaje, and Mallam Siedu Malami.
Newsmen, who besieged the national secretariat of the party, were disappointed as they were told the venue of the screening had been shifted to Ekiti House, close to the Federal Secretariat.

On getting to Ekiti House, newsmen became more frustrated as the place looked like a ghost town and got another shocker that the new venue was Ekiti Governor’s Lodge located at Asokoro.

At the Governor’s lodge, stern-looking security operatives politely asked newsmen to steer clear of the lodge as they were not invited to cover the screening of the presidential aspirants.

Also, last Friday, newsmen had besieged the Zone 6, Abuja, venue for the National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting but party executives refused to respond to several requests to get insight into the discussions and resolutions of the over five hours’ meeting, including the much-publicised alliance talks with the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.

The party had ensured newsmen were fenced from the proceedings and all attempts made were rebuffed by party chieftains, claiming that they were not competent enough to talk to the press.

On Monday, party officials screened some legislative aspirants and same aspirants were sighted yesterday at the secretariat waiting to continue from where they stopped.

It would be recalled that January 14 was however fixed at the last NEC meeting to pick the flag bearer of one of the largest opposition party of the country.