Mass Disenfranchisement: Suspend APC registration in Kwara — Lai Mohamned, Stakeholders

…Demand dissolution of Senator John Danboyi registration committee Abimbola Abatta, Osogbo

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has called for the immediate cancellation of the ongoing APC Membership Registration Exercise in Kwara State.

He said this following the allegation that there seems to be a policy to massively disenfranchise APC members in Kwara State, which has left many members disillusioned.

The minister also added that the exercise which began on February 9, 2021 does not comply with the stipulated guidelines.

He spoke on behalf of critical stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State in a press statement issued on Monday, February 15, 2021.

Disclosing the guidelines for registration of members, he said, “The guidelines stipulate consultation with all stakeholders by the Registration Officials from Abuja.

“After the botched attempt to have a meeting of stakeholders, due to orchestrated violence, the Registration Officials failed to consult with all stakeholders before the commencement of the membership registration exercise, opting instead to work with only one of the four tendencies here in Kwara, the Fagbemi Group to which the Governor belongs, thus excluding the three other tendencies – The Akogun Group, the Gbemi Saraki Group and the Lai Mohammed Group, without which the ‘O To Ge’ Movement would not have succeeded.

“Ironically, the Fagbemi Group is the weakest of the four tendencies. Also, the recruitment of officials for the registration has been a one-sided affair and indications are that the hand-picked officials are under strict orders ‘from above’ as to how to carry out the exercise. We have evidence to corroborate this,” he added.

Mohammed demanded the formation of a fresh Membership Registration Committee “that is truly independent, non-compromised and sensitive to the delicate diverse interests in the party.”

He also sued for an investigation into the botched membership registration exercise by the Senator John Danboyi-led committee, saying “Since their arrival in Kwara State, the seven-member APC Membership Registration Committee for Kwara, led by Senator John Danboyi, seems to have gone underground.

In his words, “They have not had any useful interaction with lawful members of the State EXCO as well as party leaders and other stakeholders, including Local Government Chairmen and their executives and Ward Chairmen and their executives.

“Registration is being carried out without Party Membership Register, while temporary membership slips, to be signed and detached from the forms after registration, are not being given to those who have purportedly registered.

“According to our findings, since the commencement of the registration, over 80% of the registration units do not have either membership register or membership registration slip. In the few places where they are available, they are kept in private apartments of some political officeholders.

“Instead of membership registers, conniving registration officials are using exercise books or sheets to register members. More worrisome is that members who have purportedly registered are being asked to come back for their registration slips. To date, no such member has been given the registration slip.

“Due to the shoddy and non-compliant mode of registration, using exercise books and sheets instead of the membership register, many members are unwilling to submit their details via such unsecured and illegal process.

“Meanwhile, members across the state who have complained about the non-compliance with the guidelines have been arrested and threatened with prosecution, while many have been beaten up. At the last count, over 100 of our members have had to be bailed from police stations,” he stated.

While maintaining that efforts must be put in place to ensure a credible and fair exercise, he called for the immediate disbandment of the Senator John Danboyi-led Membership Registration Committee.

According to him, “A vast majority of the APC stakeholders in the state have lost confidence in the committee.”