Fresh registration: APC replies Faleke, promises to observe Covid-19 protocols

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to an open letter by a House of Representatives member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos state, James Faleke, asking the party to postpone its scheduled fresh registration and revalidation exercise.
Faleke, in an open letter on Monday in Abuja to the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, the lawmaker expressed concern about the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic situation in Nigeria and being a COVID-19 survivor.
The lawmaker advised his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to postpone the current membership registration and validation, saying the registration could give the party a bad name, if the number of infections increased during the exercise.
But when asked for the party’s response to the open letter, Secretary of Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe, thanked the lawmaker for his concern but assured that the party will do everything possible to observe all the proposals as stated by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.
Akpanudouede said: “On behalf of the Chairman of the CECPC, His Excellency Mai Mala Buni, the Executive Governor of Yobe state, we thank Hon. James Faleke for his concerns. We appreciate all the issues raised in his open letter but as a Committee, we are guided by the directive of NEC on the conduct of the registration exercise and we wish to state that the exercise will continue as scheduled.
“In doing this, we shall ensure full compliance of the PTF protocols on Covid-19 in the cause of this exercise. Our registration officers will adequately trained to observe the protocols by the PTF.
“The truth is that this exercise is unit based. There will be no need for crowd. Recently, INEC conducted election and the Covid-19 protocol was adhered to. The registration is not a day exercise. It is a continuous one and we assure our members of their safety and protection.”