Plans verification of members
By Adedayo Akinwale
The All Progressives Congress (APC) may have approved the indefinite continuation of the ongoing party’s membership registration and revalidation, THISDAY has learnt.
Sources within the ruling party told THISDAY yesterday that after the completion of the membership drive, the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party would embark on the verification of the registered members to ensure the details in party’s membership register are correct and genuine.
The exercise, which started on February 9, was scheduled to end yesterday.
However, the ruling party has officially maintained graveyard silence and refused to clarify whether or not the exercise would be extended.
A top APC official said while the caretaker committee was working towards the June deadline for holding a national convention to usher in a new National Working Committee (NWC), it would seek extension if there was any need to do so.
He stated: “This committee wants everybody to see, even the doubting Thomases, the most extreme critics will see that what we are doing is real.
“Talking about 30 something million people and you have to verify whether it is real. You have to check the NIN number, you have to check the fingerprints, you have to check if the INEC card they have given is real; that is what we are talking about here. Never in the history of this party will you be sure that these are your members.
“You don’t expect us to come and lie; if we have need to extend, we will go to the public and give them the reason to do that. Meanwhile, we will keep the deadline of June.”
Also, another party source told THISDAY that the exercise has been extended and left open.
The source added that the registration is ongoing and that it’s possible it would last for another month or so.
The source said: “The exercise has been extended. It is still a continuous exercise because some people came today (yesterday) to collect materials. Like someone from Abia State, Chief Emenike, came to collect materials for 17 local governments in Abia. Which this means is that the exercise is still in progress.”
Asked if the exercise was extended for a specific period, he added: “They only made it open; maybe for a month or whatever. It is still in progress. There is no statement stating exactly when the exercise will end. There is no statement about that; it is still an open something.”
