A source associated to Omar Suleiman's presidential campaign told Ahram Online this afternoon that all "the rumours over General Omar Suleiman's eligibility in joining the presidential race are entirely unfounded."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source responded to questions raised by sources close to the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) – a body of judges appointed by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF)  – that around half of the registered recommendations that Suleiman turned in "are forged."

According to the presidential electoral law, any candidate must turn in documented support for his nomination, either from 30 MPs or from 30,000 citizens. Suleiman, according to his campaign team, had turned in almost 50,000 on the last day to register (9 April).

According to one of these sources "when Suleiman arrived at the SPEC headquarters on Monday [9 April] he only had 27,000 recommendaiton forms; the rest were allowed into the headquarters much later."

On Thursday evening another source suggested to Ahram Online that around 22,000 of the documents were "problematic."

"I think he [Suleiman] could be disqualified," declared one source about Mubarak's one-time vice president.

The Suleiman campaign source agreed that on Thursday evening "there were some questions raised, but they were all answered and there is nothing - absolutely nothing - wrong with our forms."

"Suleiman is certainly running; he is not pulling out. It is Ahmed Shafiq (Mubarak's last prime minister), who would possibly pull out in favour of Suleiman," the source countered.

He added that such a move on Shafiq's part would only happen after 26 April when the SPEC announces the final list of qualified candidates.

"At this point it would be a good show of support for Suleiman," he added.

An official at the SPEC decidedly declined to comment on the matter and said abruptly that his committee is "not coming under pressure from anyone to overlook any forged authorisations."

Angry political activists had suggest that Suleiman is being run by SCAF to beat down Islamist runners and marginalise Amr Moussa, the former Arab League secretary general because he is disliked by leading members of SCAF.

"We do have serious concerns about Suleiman's nomination; the way it was done, the way he was received by military police at the gates of the SPEC, and so on and so forth," said prominent activist Khaled Abdel-Hamid.

MPs speaking to Ahram Online regarding the hushed debate over Suleiman's eligibility to run the race said that it is rather impossible for anyone to contest the decision of the SPEC if it announces Mubarak's former vice is a qualified runner.

According to the applicable article in the constitutional declaration, the decisions of SPEC are firmly immune against any legal appeal.

The MPs, however, said that the "noise" over the Suleiman issue is giving more strength to parliament's demand for SCAF to ratify a draft bill adopted two days ago that blocks Suleiman and Shafiq from running. The disenfranchisement law would ban key figures of Mubarak's regime to run for any key state posts.