Ahead of Saturday’s primary election of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo, seven leading governorship aspirants under the platform of APC have raised the alarm over fake membership cards of the party being printed by one of the aspirants jostling for the party ticket.
The aspirants, who made this known in a petition jointly signed by them, allege the unnamed aspirant of planning to distribute the fake membership cards to non-members of the party in a desperate move to win the Saturday primary of the party.
The seven aspirants, who include Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Chief Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa, Prince Diran Iyantan, Prof Dayo Faduyile, Hon. Gbenga Edema, and Hon. Jimi Odimayo, maintain that several fake membership cards of the party have been secretly printed and distributed to people who are not members of the party.
According to them, the exercise was faulty, stating that the steps taken by the aspirant were designed to favor the aspirant to win the party’s primary at all costs. They say this development can mar or discredit the exercise if the national party leadership of the party fails to take steps.
The aspirants state that the desperate aspirant wants to ensure non-registered members of the party with fake membership cards vote in the primary with a plan to present this in the court of law to discredit the exercise.
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The aspirants also state in the letter directed to the National Chairman of the party that despite paying N300 million into the coffers of the party to cover the annual dues of all party members whose names appeared in the register, the exercise was not transparent to their satisfaction, as most of the genuine party members could not revalidate their membership cards.
The letter reads: “We, the undersigned, are aspirants from the South Senatorial District of Ondo State who have collected forms to participate in the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial primary election slated for April 20, 2024.
“We have noticed some issues of concern regarding the said primary election, which, if not resolved quickly, may hinder the smooth running of the primary and may be detrimental to a free, fair, credible, and acceptable election.
“One of the issues is the revalidation of the membership register to be used for the primary election.
“While we commend the party’s position to revalidate the existing membership register, which is the certified true copies, as certified by INEC, and based on this directive of the party, as aspirants, we have paid over N300 million to the coffers of the party to cover the annual dues of all party members whose names appear on the register. Unfortunately, the exercise was shrouded in so much secrecy that many of our party members, especially our numerous supporters, could not have their membership cards revalidated before the committee that came from the headquarters left Ondo State for Abuja.
“We have been inundated with reports that a particular aspirant has gone ahead with massive printing of fake party slips, which he has distributed to many people who are not even our party members.
“The intention of this aspirant is to corrupt the integrity of the membership register on the day of the primary by making the accreditation of party members impossible as non-party members have already been recruited to flood the venues of the primary election that day.
“This massive and pervasive production of the membership cards will certainly precipitate a situation where everyone holding membership cards, notwithstanding that their names are not on the register, will be allowed to vote without accreditation. Voting without accreditation remains illegal and unacceptable.
“Mr. Chairman should note that Section 77(2)(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, makes it mandatory for all political parties to have a credible membership register, which must be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and certified by it, not later than 30 days before the Congress.
“To avoid any legal or constitutional conundrum, we advise that the party make accreditation of party members mandatory at the election venue and that every member of the party whose name appears on the membership register already certified by INEC should be allowed to vote once he or she is able to present his or her membership slip for accreditation.
“It is therefore our prayer that the leadership of the party makes available to us the membership register already validly certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the only lawful register to be used by the party for the conduct of the primary election slated for April 20, 2024. No other register can lawfully be used for the said election.”
