There is information that card-carrying members of the All Progressives Congress around Abule Egba and Meiran in Lagos have been begging and promising people money to convince them to register with the party for its revalidation exercise, SaharaReporters has gathered.
A close source in the party who spoke to SaharaReporters on Sunday said the ruling party is desperate to win the general elections in 2023 by hook or by crook.
The source told SaharaReporters about plans to pay people as much as N2, 000 each to register with the party.
However, the payment will not be done immediately.
At Lagos State Property Development Corporation Estate in Meiran, the source who spoke on condition of anonymity, said members of the public are wooed to participate in the exercise for a “token of N2, 000 upon completion of the registration”.
An investigation by SaharaReporters showed that upon filling the form for the revalidation exercise, a part is torn off and given to the new inductee to give to their link in the party or the party member who directed them there.
It was, however, gathered that pandemonium broke out on Saturday as some party members had begun to hoard the forms so that only their friends and relatives would benefit from the dole out later.
“There was a fight because of this on Saturday due to suspicion of foul play in the game,” the source said.
“Some members were hoarding the forms for their people, and telling others coming for the registration and revalidation that the forms were not available.”
According to the source, the issue led to a brawl that disrupted the exercise on Saturday.
The source said, “The party wants to compensate people for registering with as low as N2, 000, and they are compiling names of the people based on this. And the members that invited them would also be compensated by the leaders of the party.
“You know this issue of revalidation all boils down to (Asiwaju Ahmed) Tinubu issue in 2023. The party is divided over his matter and they want to do everything to make sure Jagaban contests and wins in 2023.
“The compensation is not immediately. It is going to be something later and it may even be bigger than what is expected depending on who someone knows and what they offer.”
