FORMER vice president and presidential hopeful of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Atiku, on Saturday, said no leader of the party has any power to impose presidential candidate on the party.

Atiku, who spoke with newsmen after meeting delegates of the party to the national convention from Ondo State in Akure, also said the consensus arrangement could no longer work in the party.

According to him, the process already put in place by the party did not give room for any leader to impose any anointed candidate on the party.

Atiku, who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC, said he was very optimistic that the APC would conduct free and fair primaries.

Atiku said, “No one can impose candidate on the party and on the consensus issue, there is no way they can use consensus because we have grown beyond that. We are preparing for primaries. Who are the party leaders? We are the leaders of the party and there won’t be imposition.”

The former vice president commended the state delegates for receiving him, noting that he had been counting the numbers of delegates that would support his ambition in every state he visits.

Meanwhile, the screening committee for the House of Assembly aspirants has said that the 138 state Assembly aspirants who have been cleared were eligible to participate in today’s party primaries.

The chairman of the committee, Nonzo Ezedinma, who spoke with reporters in Akure shortly after the completion of the exercise, also informed that 38 federal House of Representatives and 10 senatorial aspirants were cleared for the primaries. Ezedinma noted that APC is committed to internal democracy and would offer a level playing ground for all aspirants.