From Paul Osuyi, Asaba

The ongoing nationwide membership registration and revalidation exercise by the All Progressive Congress (APC) has run into a hitch in Delta State.
This followed the sudden resignation of the secretary of the registration panel, Sanusi Musa even before the exercise formally kicked-off on Tuesday. The exercise has been halted in the state though a new secretary, Aloysius Ezenwa, has been deployed to the state. Musa is reported to have walked out of the meeting on Monday held to fine-tune plans for the take-off of the exercise, over alleged plans by supporters of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, to hijack the process.
In his message to other members of the committee, Musa, did not however give specific reasons for his action.
Reacting to the resignation, secretary of the state caretaker committee of the party, Chidi Okonji alleged chairman of the registration panel, Wilson Anyaegbu, has been compromised to do the bidding of Omo-Agege.
Okonji alleged that the state chairman of the caretaker committee, Jones Erue influenced Anyaegbu to the extent that names of nominees as registration officers came from only the Deputy Senate President.
He said other party leaders including Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo; NIMASA Director, Victor Ochei, O’tega Emerhor, Great Ogboru, among others, were schemed out in the process to nominate registration officers.
“As we speak now, the exercise has not started in any part of Delta State because the committee chairman is hoarding materials. He is working with the state caretaker committee chairman to produce registration officers which are only coming from the Deputy Senate President.”

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We are calling on the national leadership to change the chairman of the registration committee because he is bias and has been compromised. As executive members of the party in the state, we are supposed to be neutral and allow the independent registration panel to carry out a credible exercise but the chairman has been unduly influenced, that is why we want him out,” Okonji insisted.
In a reaction, a source close to the state chairman, Jones Erue, denied the allegations of compromise and hijack of the process, describing them as lies.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the party and a member of the now dissolved interim management committee of the NDDC, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, has appealed to party faithful in his local government area, Ika South, to participate in the exercise irrespective of whoever is sent in as registration officers.