Oshiomhole supports Bisi Akande, condemns APC membership revalidation

The ousted National Chairman of the All Progressive party (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday expressed his support for the APC former Interim National Chairman, Bisi Akande, berating the APC Interim Caretaker Committee on the decision for the current revalidation of the party membership. He stated that the membership revalidation contradicts   the constitution of the party.

Oshiomhole in a media interaction after revalidation of his membership status at Unit 1, ward 10, Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government Area, Edo State, argued: “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.

“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, you are a member.

“So, revalidation is strange to our constitution.”

The APC ousted chairman declared: “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.”

Oshiomhole, however, acknowledged that between 2015 and 2021, people have quitted the party while others have joined the party, noting that some have died. He admitted that it makes more sense to review the register to enable members who decamped from other parties to APC to be registered, as the party will delete names of members who departed the party.

According to Oshiomhole, “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 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’ registration due to the new members that have joined or those that have exited.”

The former Edo State governor emphasized that the party has been updating its register from time to time, adding 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.

“So, what this means now 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 move 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, and if I am returning then, I can revalidate.

“History didn’t just begin today, if we don’t have a valid register, how did we conduct the congress in 2015 in which 16 million registered APC members voted to nominate president Muhammadu Buhari before the general election,” Oshiomhole protested.

The former INC, Bisi Akande, had scolded the APC leadership that the revalidation of party members is a waste of resources. He declared the exercise unnecessary at a time the government is struggling with dearth of revenue.