APC Membership Registration: No More Imposition From Abuja — Buhari

APC Membership Registration: No More Imposition From Abuja — Buhari

Politics Digest – The All Progressives Congress (APC) membership drive/revalidation got underway on Saturday with President Muhammadu Buhari assuring party members that endorsement of aspirants at the local or state level would no longer come from Abuja.

He said it was time to return the APC to the people at the grassroots.

Buhari spoke in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State after completing his party membership revalidation exercise.

His admonition notwithstanding, some party leaders, factions and groups remain locked in intrigues to gain the upper hand during the registration/revalidation.

“No more crowning from Abuja downward. Let the people know this and appreciate it that they are in charge of their constituencies and they are in charge of the party,” the President said.

His audience included APC Caretaker Committee members, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, 10 governors, former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani and party stalwarts.

He added: “Without any incentive, they must come out and defend the party at any level so that we, you and the party will feel secure and comfortable because the old time of putting hands in the pocket is over because the money is no longer available.

Buhari and his entourage later moved to his personal residence in Daura for further interaction.

He tasked APC leaders to encourage more participation and ownership of the party at the grassroots.

A continuous sense of ownership by members, he said, will strengthen the party structure, guarantee better prospects in elections and insure its future.

His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted him as telling his guests: “I want to thank you for coming all the way for the flag-off of our party’s registration exercise.

Your coming is important to further boost the morale of party members and draw new members.

“Thank you for choosing a bottom-up process of registration at our ward, local government, state and national level, including the FCT.

“Our party style and structure should no longer be Abuja downwards, but from the ward level upwards, so that people can defend the party and its policies even at every level.

“The question of putting hands in pocket to get people to participate is no longer there since we don’t have the money to share.’’

He described the company of the Senate President and the governors who accompanied him to his constituency for the exercise as a morale booster.

The President also thanked the Caretaker committee chairman of the party, Mai Mala Buni, for shouldering the responsibilities of the APC. He described him as the most suitable person for the leadership position, having been Secretary of the party for such a long time before becoming the Yobe State governor.

According to him, the Yobe State governor knows the details of the party more than him by virtue of his long service as party secretary, and thanked him “for contacting all stakeholders and discussing with them our problems.”

In his remarks, Governor Buni said the exercise was in line with the directive given to them by President Buhari.

He said his committee started with “reconciling some aggrieved members of our party across the country and then we started the process of this registration by printing of materials to ensure that the materials are being distributed across the country.”

Continuing, he said: “We set up a mobilization committee under the chairmanship of the governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and also a National Registration Committee under His Excellency, the governor of Niger State, and both committees have been functioning effectively and living up to expectations.”