The Chairman Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Governor Mai Mala Buni, has said the ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise was in line with the dictates of the party’s constitution.

He said this in a statement titled, “Gov. Buni restates commitment to reconciliation and membership registration,” signed by his Director General (Media and Publicity), Mamman Mohammed, in Abuja, on Thursday.

Buni, spoke in apparent response to concerns raised by the pioneer Interim National Chairman of the APC, Chief Bisi Akande, who had on Wednesday, faulted the propriety of the exercise which he pointed out was happening less than ten years after the first one held in 2014.

The Yobe state Governor explained that the exercise was a constitutional provision which was part of the strategic measures taken by his committee to give existing and new members a sense of belonging.

He said, “Since the initial exercise in 2014, the party has not registered new members nor updated the personal information of our existing members as provided for by the constitution.

“The registration exercise gives our new members a sense of belonging and the existing members will update their information while those who left the party will have their names removed from the party register.”

Buni expressed confidence that the exercise would assist the party generate a valid, accurate and up to date data on party membership to enhance and support its planning process.

In Gombe, the state Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, while appealing to party supporters to register, warned registration officials against extortion.

He gave the warning during a meeting with party stakeholders at the Government House Banquet Hall, Gombe on Thursday.

Yahaya said, “Everyone should be allowed to register. Honesty should be key while the exercise lasts.

“No one should pay for the registration; stakeholders should mobilize their members to participate in the exercise. I hereby call for adequate supply of materials throughout the period of the exercise.”

In Delta State, supporters of Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agage and loyalists of an APC chieftain, Great Ogboru, engaged in a free for all.

Omo -Agage’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Onwuadimu, the Chairman Oshimili South Local Government Area, Ben Onwuka and nine others, were rough handled by thugs at the APC State Secretariat, Anwai road, Asaba.

Security officials had to whisk away Omo-Agege, the APC State Caretaker Committee Chairman, Jones Erue and other party leaders through the back door of a hall to protect them from harm when the violence at the registration centre escalated.

Some of the party chieftain caught in the melee left with broken heads and torn shirts while several ran away half naked.

It was learnt that trouble started when Ogboru’s loyalists protested against Erue whom they accused of abandoning a consent list from the APC National Secretariat. In anger, the protesters started shouting Obour’s, “Erue, Live before you kill APC in Delta.”

In response, supporters of Omo-Agege chanted songs in Erue’s support, this soon degenerated into a shouting match and a fight ensued. Registration officials had to scamper for safety when the combatants began to throw chairs at each other.

Erue declined comments after the fracas. When contacted, the Chairman APC caretaker committee, Oshimili South, Mr Ben Ownuka said, “The (state) caretaker committee chairman, Jones Erue, removed the names of chairmen who constitutionally went for election and went as far as putting names of those who did attend congress.

“We are fighting against illegality. That’s what caused the fight today. They should do the right thing; this is a political party and not a personal party. I couldn’t bear it, so, I had to fight it out with them.”

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The exercise is yet to begin in Enugu State. State caretaker committee chairman of the party, Dr Ben Nwoye, explained that the training of officers was ongoing adding that the registration proper will begin on Tuesday.

 As part of preparations for the exercise in Kwara State, a three days training for 32 registration officers began in Ilorin on Thursday.

State Publicity Secretary of the APC, Folaranmi Aro, explained that two trainees were selected from each of the 16 local government councils to be trained as trainers who will in turn, train others to handle the exercise in the 193 wards across the state.

He said, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq was registered on Wednesday to flag off the exercise.

Kwara APC faction accuses Lai Muhammed of sponsoring violence

Also, the Chairman of the state APC caretaker committee, Abdullahi Samari, condemned the violence which marred the violence which marred the stakeholders meeting on Wednesday.

He accused the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, of instigating the mayhem.

 Samari said this at a media briefing in Ilorin, on Thursday.

He said, “We condemn in the strongest terms possible the show of shame by erstwhile party chairman and my brother Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa and a few others who are clearly acting on the instruction of Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Hon. BOB’s decision to disrupt the meeting.”

Efforts to get the reaction of Bolarinwa on the allegation was unsuccessful as his phone line was switched off.

However, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo, spokesman of the APC Elders caucus loyal to Lai Mohammed and Senator Gbemisola Saraki dismissed the allegation describing Samari as an illegal Chairman imposed on members of the party.

Oyedepo said, “We are aware that the governor brought more than 200 women into the meeting and kitted them with his own uniform. The women were singing ‘Bolarinwa Ole, Oyedepo Ole’ (Bolarinwa a thief, Oyedepo a thief in the Hall. If it is the Minister of Information or Bolarinwa that brought them, will they attack him, why did they not attack Samari who was also in the hall? What Samari said is not correct, he is holding an illegal letter and he is occupying the seat of the Chairman of the party illegally.”

In Ebonyi, party supporters under the auspices of 2019 APC House of Assembly Stakeholders Forum, rejected the composition of the state registration panel and demanded that the exercise be postponed in Onicha local government area of the state.