APC membership registration begins

The All Progressives Congress on Wednesday started its nationwide membership registration in polling units across the country.

However, the exercise started on a shaky note as registration materials arrived in most of the centres late.

Investigations however revealed that while there were individuals willing to register, they could not do so because a number of the polling units are located in public schools.

For instance, some polling units located in Wuse, Kubwa and Garki, Abuja could not be used because schools were in session.

One of those affected, Mallam Abdulkadir Abubakar, said, “As you know, there is a polling unit at the primary school in Phase III, here in Kubwa. I was there and there was no sign anything would happen because children were in school.”

He explained that he and others who were faced with a similar challenge would take the matter up with the party’s interim officials at the ward level.

A similar scenario played out at the Government Secondary School located in Area 10.

A would-be APC member, Mr. Pius Osareimen, said he could not register because he neither saw any party official nor found a registration unit since the school which served as a polling unit was in session.

When contacted, the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said, “Registration is going on very fine; there may be some states where some minor hitches may have been noticed.

“However, overall the exercise is going on well. Remember, it is just the first day.”

In Adamawa State, Governor Murtala Nyako registered at Hammanyero ‘A’ polling unit in Mbilla Ward of Mayo Belwa Local Government at 11.30am on Wednesday.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the governor, Ahmad Sajo, which was sent via electronic mail to The PUNCH.

Speaking shortly after the exercise, Nyako said with his registration as a card-carrying member of the APC, “all talks of his return to the PDP have been effectively foreclosed.”

In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, a former acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, said the APC would defeat the PDP in the 2015 elections.

In an interview with journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, he claimed that the APC had been widely accepted by Nigerians.

In Edo State, registration of new members into the APC began amid complaints of late arrival of materials.

The state Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, however, lauded the strategy adopted by the party to ensure that only genuine persons were registered.

Speaking from Urhomehe, in Oriomwhon Local Government Area, where some party members expressed displeasure at the delay in the arrival of materials, Odubu said, “The beauty of this exercise is that nobody can import, infiltrate or hijack the it.

“The party has said that to be eligible for registration, you can only be registered at your polling units where you were registered as a voter. This will ensure that the party has a database of all registered voters in any national election.”

Also, a former secretary to the state government, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, expressed confidence that the five-day registration exercise would be a huge success.

He described the initial hiccups as the teething problems that were not unexpected.

In Ogun State, Governor Ibikunle Amosun, said that the party desired to register an estimated 400,000 members during the exercise.

Amosun and his wife, Olufunso, registered at the  Ajura Ward  in Obafemi/Owode Local Government  Area.

Similarly, a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba,  registered at Ward 13, Ago-Oba, Abeokuta.

The governor and Osoba in separate interviews however argued that there was no formidable opposition party  that  could defeat the APC in any election in the state.

The Interim National Chairman of the APC,  Chief Bisi Akande, also expressed satisfaction with the turnout of people for the exercise.

Akande, who registered  in Ila Orangun, Osun State, said the large turnout of the people for the exercise, showed that the party had wide acceptability among Nigerians.

The APC chairman said that over 13 million  party members were expected to register in the ongoing exercise across the country.