Kalu faults Oshiomhole on APC membership registration

Senate Chief Whip and a former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has faulted the position of a former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, who described the ongoing membership registration of the party as unconstitutional.

Kalu insisted that the exercise was in order.

The senator, who spoke with journalists after a tour of the facilities of Stanel World Group in Awka for the Stanel Youth Empowerment and Master Class, said it was not true that the APC constitution did not have a provision for membership revalidation.

He said, “There is nothing you do in the party that is unconstitutional. As long as the NEC of the party has taken a decision on any matter on behalf of the party, it becomes constitutional. The President, all the APC governors, legislators and officers of the party were all there when the decision was taken to amend the law and to revalidate membership of the party in all states of the country. So, it is valid as far as I am concerned.”

The Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Opeyemi Bamidele, and a former National Assembly member, Senator Ayo Arise, on Friday revalidated their membership of the APC and affirmed that that the ongoing registration exercise was in order.

Bamidele, who registered at his Iyin Ekiti hometown, said the exercise would boost the party’s chances ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Arise said the revalidation exercise would help to attract more people of means and influence into the APC.

Meanwhile, suspected hoodlums have attacked the venue of the ongoing membership registration and revalidation of the All Progressives Congress at Ajalli in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

They reportedly inflicted injuries on some party supporters as well as members of the party’s Registration and Revalidation Committee for the local government.

The APC youth leader in the local government, Ejike Kanu, was allegedly beaten for refusing to hand over registration materials to the suspected thugs.

“Kanu was rushed to a private hospital in a very critical condition,” a source state said.

Another source said, “The thugs attacked Mr Ejike Kanu who, for the past two days, refused to be compromised or allow the materials to be diverted.

“He insisted that as members of the committee, they were under instruction not to allow anybody take control of the materials, which did not go down well with the thugs.

“The state caretaker committee chairman and members of the national registration committee were not left out as the thugs manhandled them.

Following the beating he received, Ejike Kanu was rushed to hospital where he is receiving medical attention.”

The story in Oyi Local Government Area was not different as fracas characterised the distribution of materials in the area.

A member of the party in the area said, “Materials were yet to be distributed by members of the registration committee because of the fear of violence and attack, while that of Ogbaru Local Government is still at the Atani Police Station in the local government.”

Also, materials for Onitsha North were yet to be received in the area as of press time as there were fears that some thugs were threatening to disrupt the exercise if the materials were not handed over to their leaders.

An APC chieftain who spoke in confidence said some of the governorship aspirants became interested in the registration and revalidation because there were reports that the party might adopt direct primaries in which case all registered members of the party would be allowed to vote for the nomination of the party’s candidate for the November election.

Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, did not take our correspondent’s calls to confirm the attacks.

But the Divisional Police Officer of Ajali, Ayeni Oluwadara, confirmed the incident in Orumba.