By Godwin Amunde
The Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum, (PGF) – the umbrella body of Nigerian governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) – Dr. Salihu Lukman, has described those opposed to the planned membership registration /revalidation exercise ahead of the National Convention of the party as political bandits who were desperate to install their surrogates as party leaders.
In a statement titled, “Campaign against Membership Registration in APC: A Smokescreen for Surrogate Leadership,” issued in Abuja on Thursday, Lukman noted that there have been media reports threatening legal actions to block the Mai Mala Buni led Caretaker Committee from the reported decision to commence the process of membership registration/verification of the party.
He said some of the threats even go as far as claiming that the only mandate given to the Caretaker Committee led by Mai Mala Buni is to organise a National Convention and has up to December 2020 ‘to do the needful or be chased out.’
“In this age of banditry, it will appear that some of our so-called leaders are as skillful in politics as the criminal bandits ravaging our communities – towns and villages. We must appeal to these so-called leaders to come back to their senses. For anybody to claim our party’s membership, not even emerge as a leader, the legal standing of such a person must be beyond suspect.
“One will expect any leader of the party with any claim of being a progressive or even democratic politician to welcome the need to have membership registration/verification ahead of the APC National Convention.
“In fact, even after membership registration/verification, before we can satisfy that there are legal delegates for any National Convention; APC would require Ward, Local Government, and State Congresses.
“These Congresses need to hold ahead of the National Convention to affirm that the delegates to attend the National Convention have the authority of party members,” he said.
The APC chieftain also said the party constitution provides that the party shall update its membership records every six months and remit updated copies to appropriate Secretariats.
According to him, Article 9.4 of the APC constitution specifically provide that a register of members shall be compiled and maintained at the Ward level and be transmitted to the Secretariat of the party at Local Government Area, which shall transmit a copy to the National Secretariat.
He said: “When was the last time anybody was registered as APC member in any part of the country? When was the last time any Ward in the country transmitted to any Local Government Secretariat and/or Local Government transmitted any copy to National Secretariat? Yet, our party’s constitution provides that membership records should be updated every six months.
“How can any leader even attempt to raise questions about why we should have membership registration/verification?”
Lukman therefore said the best route to addressing all the leadership challenges in APC is to find its bearing with reference to ensuring that the party is able to produce a credible and verifiable membership register.
“This is so fundamental and is in fact what should distinguish our party from all the other parties in the country. Any leader who is not comfortable means that such a leader doesn’t have respect for members and is unwilling to subordinate himself or herself to members. If a leader is unwilling to subordinate himself or herself to party members, why should anyone risk investing any superior elective political power to such a person?” he said.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari had on Tuesday given the Mai Mala Buni led Committee the go ahead with the registration and revalidation exercise.
