Membership Revalidation exercise strange to APC constitution – Oshiomhole 1
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Membership Revalidation exercise strange to APC constitution – Oshiomhole

The ex-National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, on Tuesday joined the group of party stalwarts opposing the ongoing registration and revalidation exercise in the ruling party.

Oshiomhole, who addressed journalists shortly after revalidating his membership of the party at Unit 1, ward 10, Iyamho, Etsako West local government of area of Edo State, said the exercise is strange and contrary to the APC constitution.

The duo of APC pioneer National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande and the party’s National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had also expressed misgivings about the exercise.

Akande, who revalidated his membership of the party at Ila Orangun, Osun State, about a fortnight ago, described the revalidation exercise as unnecessary and a waste of funds.

But Oshiomhole insisted that the APC has been updating its membership register from time to time, saying most of the governors under the party today became members after the update of the voters’ register.

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.

“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.

“I have only done this because I want peace to reign but in doing this, we have to be careful not to create a constitutional breach.

“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 leave the party. So, I think the correct language should either be reviewing or updating because it makes sense to review voters register due to the new members that have joined or those that have exited.”

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