Factions of the All Progressives Congress in Imo and Rivers states have opposed the party ’ s membership registration and revalidation holding across the states .
The factions listed among other reasons court orders halting the exercise in their respective states .
For instance , in Rivers State , while the faction loyal to the Minister of Transportation , Rotimi Amaechi, supported the exercise , loyalists of Senator Magnus Abe opposed it.
A spokesman for Amaechi’ s loyalists , recognised by the APC National Secretariat , Ogbonna Nwuke , said , “ What is clear to us is that materials are here , but people are to be trained first before registration starts . After the training , then we will go into operations in the field . But for the avoidance of doubt , by next week we ( APC) will start registration. ”
However , a spokesman for the Abe-led APC faction under the chairmanship of Igo Aguma , Livingstone Weche , in an interview with one of our correspondents , said , “ There is a court order stopping the revalidation in Rivers State . That is what the Igo Aguma led faction complied with . You are aware that an order was given by a Rivers State High Court . ”
A similar situation was obtained in Imo State .
A faction of the party loyal to Governor Hope Uzodinma is prepared for the exercise while loyalists of Senators Rochas Okorocha and Ifeanyi Ararume opposed the exercise on the grounds that they were still in court challenging the conduct of the exercise .
The APC State chairman loyal to Okorocha and Ararume , Dan Nwafor, told one of our correspondents in an interview in Owerri that he was in court to challenge the process because any activity taking place without his supervision as the authentic chairman would be illegal .
Nwafor said , “ We are waiting for the court to hear our application for an injunction which hopefully will be heard next week . ”
However , the state APC caretaker committee chairman , Marco Nlemigbo , said , “ As a party in Imo State , we will not take issues with Chief Bisi Akande. He is an elder statesman . The truth is that there is nothing wrong with what APC is doing . The exercise will win more members to our party . Even in families, parents check if all their children have come back . ”
The Senior Special Assistant on Print Media to the Imo State governor, Modestus Nwamkpa , quoted his principal as saying the exercise was in order because would eventually strengthen the party .
The former APC interim chairman advised the Caretaker Committee to resist the temptation of “ sit – tight syndromes ” which , according to him , usually characterised “most handpicked authorities in most underdeveloped countries of the world . ”
Tinubu , while speaking to reporters at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos , on Saturday, said , “ Since we have a foundation and that foundation is on which the structure up till the present was built at the time of the registration of this party , I will not fault Baba Akande’ s position; I will not but endorse it. ” he said after being registered on Saturday.
He further said , “ What we are doing now is a matter of addition and subtraction , free entry and free exit . You have joined a particular party ; you have decided to leave that party . You have equal opportunity for new members to join and update the existing register of the party . ”
The APC national leader also explained that no one had informed him that the party ’ s membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission at the time of APC registration had been invalidated.
