The immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday, said the ongoing membership revalidation exercise is contrary to the party’s constitution.
He said: “APC is governed by a constitution and not by man. 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.
“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,” The Punch reported Mr Oshiomhole as saying shortly after revalidating his membership of the party at Unit 1, Ward 10, Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government of Edo State.
Mr Oshiomhole added: “If you ask me as a foundation member, who has never decamped, 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. 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.”
According to him, the party has 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 election under the party.
“History didn’t just begin today. If we don’t have a valid register, how did we conducted the congress in 2015 in which 16 million registered APC members voted to nominate President Muhammadu Buhari before the general election?”
He said at one of the party’s National Executive Council meeting in Abuja when he was the national chairman, he had the honour of presenting membership card to President Buhari.