The All Progressives Congress (APC) membership registration ended yesterday. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN reports that the exercise was free, fair and transparent
The nationwide membership registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been hailed as a good beginning for the party, given the large turn-out of its faithful across the country.
The one week exercise, which took off simultaneously in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), experienced some teething problems on the first day. There was late arrival of materials and officials in some states. But these were promptly addressed by the co-ordinators. The exercise went on smoothly in subsequent days.
To a public affairs analyst, Bernard Briggs, such hiccups cannot be ruled out in such a nationwide exercise. He observed that it was on the maiden day that the registration started late in some states due to logistics problem.
Briggs observed: “The exercise was orderly, smooth, transparent and peaceful. APC deserves commendation for this novel idea. No political party in this country has ever achieved such a feat. The turnout of party members is a proof that APC is a national party. The beauty of the exercise was that there was no report of hijacking or snatching of registration materials.
“The registration was simple, open and transparent. Those eligible for registration went to the polling units where they were registered as members of the party, with two passport photographs. It took maximum of five minutes to get registered,” he said.
An 80-year old woman, Mrs Funke Oloruntoba who registered at Ward D Ifako/Ijaiye Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, was surprised when she was given the counterfoil of her registration form which she will use to collect her card later, within five minutes. The octogenarian, who was supported by her grandson, Tunde, praised the party’s leaders for making the exercise stress-free. What excited her most was that the party hired the services of a photographer to take pictures of those that do not have passport photographs, at no cost to the propective members. “It was an incentive that encouraged people like me to come out to register”, she remarked.
In some units, excited party members besieged the registration centre as early as 8a.m. for the exercise that was to commence at 9a.m. A chieftain of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, could not hide his joy. He described APC as a conglomeration of all that is Nigeria. He said: “We (members) have registered our acceptability of APC throughout Nigeria. We have put down the party’s popularity in black and white. We have formalised our membership.
Baraje noted that “since many of us defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to APC, the gale of people coming from different parties — not only from the PDP — has been tremendous, wonderful, magical and unstoppable. The individuals coming to APC are not only team players, but are also leaders who have the highest number of people in their domains. As far as I am concerned, by the grace of God, it is already a bye-gone decision by Nigerians that APC would emerge victorious in 2015.”
Senator Magnus Abe, representing Rivers Southeast, sees the registration exercise as an opportunity for Rivers State residents to solidify the battle against oppression, intimidation and police brutality.
Abe said “it was a golden opportunity for us to arm ourselves with the APC card, which would enable us effectively defend, protect and secure our resources from internal and external aggression.”
According to him, “recent events have shown that APC is ready to reward hard work and dedication, unlike the PDP.
The party leadership had during the membership drive, particularly when it was wooing the former PDP governors and their leaders, promised to create a level playing ground for all and assured that there would be no founder and no joiner. The registration has created equal opportunity for every member to formalise his membership.
The fear that members who defected from the PDP, after the registration of the APC by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would be treated as late entrants or joiners has been laid to rest. For instance, Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who joined APC a fortnight ago, registered in their various wards.
The likes of Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and AbduFattah Ahmed (Kwara), have formalised their membership of APC through the registration exercise.
The national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, has promised to bring them back to the party. But as Nyako has noted, the registration of the former PDP members as APC members has put a stop to speculations of their returning to the ruling party. By the virtue of this exercise, all those who registered are foundation members.
Youth activist Hakeem AbdulRahaman said the APC has proved through the registration of its members that it is a party that will not discriminate against members and will always create equal opportunities for all, no matter their status.
AbdulRahaman recalled how the PDP discriminated against some of its members by denying them the opportunity to update their membership in the build-up to 2007 general elections. He recalled that people like Atiku were frustrated and forced out of the party. He advised the leadership of the party to remain united, allow internal democracy to reign in decision making and to carry members along in all its activities.
Party chieftains led by example as many of them appeared physically at the registration centres to formalise their membership. Former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu described registration by proxy as rigging. Tinubu said APC would never condone rigging in whatever form. Physical appearance before registration officials, he said, is essential. Thus, it was not surprising seeing at the registration centres leaders who could have directed the officials to their posh apartments. Tinubu registered in his ward at Ikeja on the firt day of the registration. The interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, was in his country home Ila-Orangun to register. Other leaders of the party like Chief Olusegun Osoba, Governors Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun State), Senator Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Kazeem Shettima (Borno) and many others took time out to register at their wards.
Fashola said the drive by the APC to register its members was part of efforts to rescue the country from difficult challenges of poor management. APC, he said, is an association that welcomes new members. He added that people are free to come and join, particularly those who believe in what the party stands for, which is to save Nigeria from its current difficult challenges and poor management. He said the exercise was tailored towards consummating the initial contacts and meetings that heralded the formation of the party.
The governor said the registration was a process of identifying our members; the drive to deliver what is clearly the biggest political movement in our quest to give birth to a new Nigeria. All those who are concerned about our country will find a vehicle of expression in APC, he stated.
The interim Chairman of the APC in Katsina State, Alhaji Ahmad Dangiwa, described the exercise as an antidote to bad governance in the country and reiterated that the mega party would save the country from the mismanagement of the past 15 years.
He said: “The exercise would save the country from poor management of its human and natural resources by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). It was high time the nation’s electorate rescued the country from difficult challenges of poor management by voting wisely.”
The APC chieftain urged Nigerians to do what it takes to establish good leadership in the country and added that if the citizens followed election process and participated in them, they would be in a good position to save Nigeria from poor management.
Reflecting on the success of the registration exercise, presidential candidate of the defunct ACN, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu said it was a sign of good things to come when APC assumed power at the centre in 2015. Ribadu said the success of the registration is a reflection of how meticulous the APC is in planning and execution.
Ribadu however urged the party to consolidate the goodwill and popularity it enjoys at the grassroots by ensuring unity of its leaders and other key stakeholders, stressing that the party’s success depends on the unity of stakeholders at all levels.
According to him, “the popular saying, united we stand, divided we fall, is very true. If we want to accomplish our mission, we must work sincerely as a team. We must not allow any crack that our detractors can leverage on.”
Ribadu therefore charged leaders of the APC to put the interest of the party and Nigeria first before individual aspirations and interests, if the party was to make progress. “At this time, the party is still at formative stage. What is expected of all of us is to come together and take this party to a higher level. Aspirations are legitimate in politics, but we should not allow the party and Nigeria to suffer because of our individual interests.”
He noted that APC is a party with divergent views and with eminent citizens as members, which has grown beyond individuals to a truly democratic party where decisions are taken with the involvement of all stakeholders.
On Nigerians’ expectations on the party, Ribadu noted that APC will ensure investment in critical sectors of the socio-economy. He noted that what is seen in states governed by the party would be replicated at the centre come 2015, if it is given the mandate.
Observers believe there are lessons for the INEC to learn from the APC registration exercise. For instance, Briggs said the success of the party’s membership registration has proved that the electoral commission with abundant resources can produce a credible voters’ register with proper planning. The manual registration carried out by APC, he said, was cost effective and was executed with despatch, unlike the INEC that spent billions of naira on importation of voters’ registration machines, which at the end of the day failed to produce credible voters register.
Briggs said with the membership registration, APC now has a database of all its members, who constitute part of the registered voters in any national election. According to him, the party can plan, project and predict its performance in any given election.
He advised the party not to stop its membership drive, adding that the registration should be a continuous exercise.
“The next line of action after the registration is to reconcile all the records and ensure that those who want to join the party were not left out,” he added.
