BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA –The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole, has described the ongoing membership revalidation exercise of his party as unconstitutional.
He however said that he only participated in the revalidation exercise of the party at Unit 1, Ward 10, Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State owing to his desire for peace to reign in the party, but warned that care must be taken in order not to create constitutional breach.
Oshiomhole noted that the APC constitution provides for registration once, adding that he registered as a member of the party in 2014 under the Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande.
The former National Chairman specifically said that the ruling APC is governed by a body of rules known as the constitution and not the desires, whims and caprices of any man.
In his words; “There is nothing in the APC constitution that says a member shall revalidate or renew his membership. Once you registered when you joined the party and you have not decamped, you are and remain a member. So, revalidation is strange to our constitution.
“If you ask me as a foundation member, who has never decamped, to revalidate my membership, it is double registration because there is nothing like revalidation in our constitution.
“By asking me to revalidate my membership means I was not a member or resigned my membership of the party. So, I think the correct language should be either reviewing or updating because it makes sense to review voters register as a result of the new members that joined or those that have exited,” Oshiomhole enthused.
He noted that the party had before now been involved in updating its register from time to time, adding that most of the governors on the platform of the party today became members following the update of voters register which enabled them to contest the governorship election under the party.
Oshiomhole further said; “So, what this means, is that I have come here to do another registration but I insist that my registration never expired within the provision of the APC constitution.
“For me, I think we should just move on. I am happy I just did it but I don’t need it because my membership has not expired and it can only expire when I decamp.
“History didn’t just begin today. If we don’t have a valid register, how did we conduct the congress in 2019 in which 16 million registered APC members voted to nominate President Muhammadu Buhari before the general election?”
Oshiomohle also said that the National Executive Committee of the party at its meeting in Abuja which he presided over as the national chairman, had the honour of presenting membership card to President Buhari.
He further said; “I am a founding governor of APC and not a creation of APC. Some of those who are rowdy here and there came to join APC, but we formed the APC”.
