From Gyang Bere, Jos
Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has warned All Progressive Congress (APC) stakeholders in the state against manipulating and hijacking the party’s membership registration for personal political interest.
He encouraged the stakeholders to mobilise members at all levels for the exercise and ensure new members are attracted into the party.
Governor Lalong disclosed this during a stakeholders meeting of the party held in Jos and presided over by the State Chairman, Chief Letep Dabang.
Lalong charged the stakeholders to fully participate in the exercise by ensuring that existing members and new members are encouraged into the party so as to bolster the party’s position in the state.
He also warned against shutting out any existing or intending member from registering and the manipulation or hijack of the process by political interests, saying that this will only draw the party back and those who are found perpetrating such acts shall be made to face the party’s disciplinary procedures.
Lalong said the party needs to consolidate on the gains it has made over the years by drawing in more people during the exercise, and warned against allowing individual interests and ambitions to interfere with the process whose guidelines have been clearly set out by the national leadership of the party.
The Ggvernor also urged the members to be wary of propaganda by the opposition who are bent on discrediting the good works and achievements of the party in order to discourage existing and new members from participating in the registration exercise.
He said as members of the APC, it is their collective responsibility to project the achievements of the government wherever they find themselves.
‘As we set out to revalidate and register more members into our party, we should realise that it is our works that will speak for us and that our opponents will naturally stage their propaganda to try to dissuade people from registering. The people of Plateau State know where we took over from the PDP and the difference we have made. There is substantial peace and more visitors and investors are coming into the state,’ he said.
The chairman of the party, Chief Letep Dabang, said the stakeholders meeting was primarily to strategise on how to conduct a hitch-free registration exercise in Plateau State.
He said the party structures across the state have been put on alert as pre-sensitisation had started even before the guidelines were issued from the national headquarters.
He read out the guidelines set by the national headquarters of the party and disclosed that the committees to conduct the exercise in the state is being drawn out with the participation of all stakeholders urging them to show good conduct and lead by example to deny opponents any window of distraction.