Chief Bisi Akande, former National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress Party (APC) has been told in no uncertain term that the ongoing APC membership registration is not an aberration. Chief Akande had told newsmen in his home town of Ila-Oragun that a register already exists and it was wasteful to embark on another exercise at this time of scanty economy. He said further whatever aim this new exercise was meant to achieve would amount to distraction.
But addressing newsmen in Abuja, the President of Amalgamated Youths of Nigeria ((AYN) Chief Dominic Awele, dismissed his claims as unwarranted, selfish and purely self-motivated. Contrary to his claims, Chief Dominic declared that the exercise was necessary to register new and loyal members. “The APC cannot work with the old register because it is doctored to suit the whims and caprice of a few powerful individuals”, he told journalists. He said it was worrisome for well-placed individuals who should know to be calling for the suspension of the process. “First, it was a national Assembly member with close ties to a top notcher that spoke out against it saying the ravaging Covid-19 was enough reason to do so; now we have another top brass with similarly close ties also saying the same thing”, he revealed.
Chief Dominic said a properly conducted exercise would give the party an edge over others ahead of the 2023 presidential elections. “We cannot be working against ourselves”, he stated further calling on all party faithful to rally round the Mai Mala Bunu leadership and ensure a smooth exercise. “We need to support the current APC leadership by mobilizing our members to come out en masse and register”, he announced.
Chief Dominic who hails from Edo State, vowed that his association would continue to mobilize people, carry out awareness campaign and sensitization to ensure the process is not scuttled by opposing elements within the party. “It is time we forget about this attitude of playing selfish politics; we should place the interest of the masses over and above our parochial interest”, he declared. The AYN Chieftain reiterated that it was not compulsory for the exercise to favour a particular presidential aspirant stressing that his overbearing attitude was instead causing so much tension within the APC ranks. “They want a process that is flawed so that they can manipulate it and bring in only their proxies”, he told the newsmen.
It is interesting that the only calls for the suspension of this wonderful opportunity are coming from a particular camp in Lagos. Luckily for the teeming APC members, the leadership under Mai Mala Bunu has vowed that there was no going back!
