Of the 29 presidential aspirants that purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) expression of interest and nomination forms, 25 have submitted their completed forms as at the deadline last night.
The 25 aspirants are now in the frame to face the party’s screening panel later today in Abuja.
The screening will last two days ahead of the primary slated for May 28.
Those who beat the deadline yesterday include: Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwunmi Adesina; immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Senate President Ahmad Lawan former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Minister of Niger Delta Development, Sen. Godswill Akpabio; former Imo State governor, Sen. Rochas Okorocha; and former Ogun State governor, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun.
Others are: Pastor Tunde Bakare; Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade; his Ebonyi State counterpart, Gov. Dave Umahi; Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; Minister of State, Education, Hon. Emeka Nwajiuba; former Senate President, Sen. Ken Nnamani; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Jigawa State Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and former Zamfara State governor, Sen. Ahmed Yerima.
Also on the list of presidential aspirants that filed their papers are: Senator Ajayi Borroffice; the only female aspirant, Mrs Uju Kennedy Ohnenye; Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo; former House of Representative Speaker Dimeji Bankole; former Minister of State, Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva; former Minister of Information, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu; and Mr Tein Jack Rich.
But the same could not be said of former President Goodluck Jonathan and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele both of whom did not turn in the forms bought for them by “friends and well-wishers.”
It was also gathered that the legal directorate of the party began the vetting of documents submitted by all aspirants since Thursday with a view to determining the authenticity of the papers.
