A former National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, has faulted the ongoing revalidation of membership of the party by the Interim Caretaker Committee.
Oshiomhole said the exercise was not in line with the party’s constitution.
Responding to questions from journalists shortly after revalidating his membership of the party at Unit 1, ward 10, Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government of Edo State, on Tuesday, he said: “APC is governed by a constitution and not by man.”
According to him, “the constitution only provides for registration and I registered as a member of the APC in 2014 under the Interim national chairman, Chief Bisi Akande.
“There is nothing in the APC constitution that says a member shall revalidate or renew its membership.
“Once you registered when you joined the party and you have not decamped (defected), you are a member. So, revalidation is strange to our constitution.
“I have only done this because I want peace to reign but in doing this, we have to be careful not to create constitutional breach.”
He noted that between 2015 and now, people had exited the party and others had joined while some had died.
He said it therefore made a lot of sense to review the register so that those who had decamped (defected) to APC would be registered while those who had left would be deleted.
“If you ask me, as a foundation member, who has never decamped (defected), 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 when I have never left the party. So I think the correct language should be either reviewing or updating because it makes sense to review voters register due to the new members that have joined or those that have exited.”
He said the party had been updating its register from time to time, noting that most of the governors under the party today became members following voters’ register update, hence they were able to contest the governorship elections under the party.
He 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.
“As for me, I think we should just moved 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 (defect), and if I am returning then I can revalidate.”
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