From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri and Okey Sampson, Umuahia
A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Samuel Anyanwu, yesterday, alleged that ongoing revalidation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was a plot to hack into Nigerians’ Bank Verification Number (BVN) to boost its membership.
He called on traditional rulers in Imo State and Nigeria at large to be watchful and refuse to heed to APC’s request to submit list of civil servants from their communities, pointing out that such plot was targeted at hijacking their BVN to forcefully register them.
Anyanwu wondered how a party that has brought poverty and sorrow to Nigerians since its assumption of office could expect the same people groaning in pains to embrace it, adding that the people were wise enough to know such dubious act was targeted at destroying their future, the more.
He pointed out how the APC used deceit to gain power in 2015, stressing that its latest macabre dance and political rhetorics to register 100 million Nigerians into its fold was a game plan to rig the 2023 elections to afflict the country with another pandemic.
“APC governors have directed traditional rulers and community leaders to compile names of their people and submit same to the party’s secretariat across the country. This is in a bid to boost their party’s membership drive through hook and crook.
“Nigerians should not listen to them, and their deceitful antics to rob them of peace and tranquillity. It is on record that APC has not won any election since 2015, but still struggling to be relevant having seen that Nigerians are no longer taking it serious. It is laughable for the party and its leaders to dream of winning future elections by fraudulently hacking into their BVN to boost membership.
“APC has deceived us for too long, and Nigerians should reject any entreaties from its leaders to supply their names, voters’ card or other relevant information. All these antics were meant to take over their BVN in view of 2023 elections.”
Anyanwu, who represented Imo East (Owerri) between 2015 and 2019, urged well meaning Nigerians to reject APC and its ongoing membership revalidation, stressing the need for all hands to be on deck to elect the PDP in future elections.
Meanwhile, an APC chieftain in Abia State, Benjamin Apugo, has said his party would completely wipe out the PDP in the South East zone in 2023.
Apugo, who stated this at the weekend in his Ibeku-Umuahia country home when the APC membership revalidation committee visited him for capturing in the party’s new register, said PDP was living on borrowed time.
He predicted PDP would soon collapse into APC in all the states of South East, saying the zone has realised its mistake of rejecting a ruling party.
When reminded of the growing feeling among Ndigbo that South East zone has suffered its worst political exclusion under the current APC-led Federal Government, Apugo said it was a misconception.
He dismissed, as misguided, claims in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari has not been fair to Ndigbo in terms of appointments into sensitive public positions.
Apugo said the recently appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Leo Iraboh, from Delta State is Igbo, contrary to some misconceptions in some quarters.
He thanked APC leadership for the ongoing membership revalidation exercise, and pledged to support the party claim Abia in 2023.
The leader of the committee, Bala Mohammed Mairiga, described Apugo as one of the critical stakeholders of APC in the country, hence the decision of the party to re-register him in his house.
He said the membership revalidation exercise was not meant to witch-hunt anybody but to give everyone, including those ‘who joined or are joining’ the party newly equal opportunity ahead of 2023.
Mairiga said the exercise which would fully begin today across the state had so far recorded tremendous success.
APC Chairman, Donatus Nwankpa, who was part of the delegation, said the party was set to capture both Abia State and the entire South East following the increasing number of politicians of substance defecting to the party in the recent times.
