The Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, Dr Salihu Lukman, has applauded the leader of the All progressive congress, APC, Bola Tinubu for revalidating his membership of the party.
The PGF boss, in a statement titled ‘Significance of Leadership Disagreements to Political Contests’, also commended another APC chieftain, Bisi Akande, for toeing the line of Mr Tinubu.
According to Mr Lukman, the decision by the duo was a clear message to every party member to revalidate his/her membership of the party.
The PGF boss insisted that the ongoing membership registration exercise was aimed at deepening internal democracy in the APC.
He said: “There is no better evidence today that all APC leaders are united other than the ongoing membership registration/revalidation exercise.
“Our APC leaders may have all their different political permutations. But they are united in the fact that for their permutation to come with strong electoral prospects, the development of the party, APC, especially in terms of its membership is an important precondition.
“Above all, the freedom of members to aspire for leadership positions must not be constrained by the undemocratic factors of imposition familiar to our politics in Nigeria.
“President Muhammadu Buhari was emphatic about this when revalidating his membership of the party on January 30, 2021 in Daura, Katsina State.
“He used the occasion to serve notice on all leaders and members of the party to the effect that ‘No more crowning from Abuja downward.
“Let the people know this and appreciate it that they are in charge of their constituencies and they are in charge of the party.’
Continuing, he noted: “What is very clear is that all leaders of the APC are interested in the success of the membership registration/revalidation exercise.
“The expectation is that it will produce more members and whatever is the problem associated with the old membership register will be resolved.
“Part of what every progressive democrat in APC will have to address is to ensure democratic control of the APC membership register.
“To be able to exercise democratic control should mean that the register is retrievable and can be updated almost similar to what obtains in INEC in the case of the voters register.
“In this day and age, with all the advancement in technology, it should be possible to have a virtual interface that linked the membership database in the National Secretariat with all our wards, local governments and states such that it can be updated with ease.”
