Chief Solomon Sunday Chukwu, the Otun Amuludun of Orile Agege Kingdom and the Enyiwarauzo I of Oposi Kingdom, has commended the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) membership registration exercise, describing it as a welcome and long-anticipated initiative by party members. He made this known during an interactive session with stakeholders after a meeting held in Agege Local Government Area on Wednesday.
According to Chief Chukwu, while the registration exercise is a positive step, it is being threatened by a major challenge — lack of trust. He noted that many prospective party members spend several hours registering but leave without any tangible proof, such as a registration slip, to confirm their participation.
“We live in a country where trust is very scarce. People register and are told that their slips will be printed later. This is not helping matters,” he said. “Those we encourage to register return disappointed because they were not given any evidence to show they have completed the exercise.”
Chief Chukwu expressed particular concern about ethnic minority members within the party, who fear discrimination.
He recalled past election experiences where voters were allegedly denied the opportunity to vote because of name differences or ethnic identity. He warned that the absence of registration slips could fuel suspicion that some members may later be denied party cards under ethnic pretexts.
“This is the major complaint coming from party members, especially ethnic groups. Even if the plastic card is not ready, there should at least be a slip to show participation in the registration,” he stressed.
On electoral reforms, Chief Chukwu welcomed the introduction of e-voting, describing it as a progressive development that would strengthen democracy. He said electronic voting would reduce electoral malpractices such as ballot box snatching and improve voter confidence.
“We are a party with a wide network. E-voting will help mobilize voters and eliminate many of the old election problems,” he said.
He also revealed ongoing grassroots mobilization efforts through sociocultural platforms such as the Ezedigbo and Aneze groups in Lagos State.
According to him, plans are underway to sensitize members and encourage them to return to their various local governments to participate actively in the APC registration process.
The Agege APC chapter, he added, is conducting ward-by-ward reviews of the registration exercise, with another meeting scheduled for Saturday to assess progress and strategize on how to ensure broader participation and fairness.
Chief Chukwu, however, expressed dissatisfaction with a recent stakeholders’ meeting involving the Speaker, noting that there was no opportunity for questions or feedback despite Agege ranking 19th out of 20 local governments in performance.
“We were not given room to express our observations or suggest solutions. After delivering his message, he left,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Chief Chukwu reaffirmed his commitment to rebuilding trust among ethnic groups and encouraging inclusive participation in the party.
He also praised the President’s efforts, citing improvements in fuel prices and ongoing economic reforms, expressing optimism that Nigeria’s situation would continue to improve before the end of the current administration’s tenure.
“For me, our duty is to go back, re-strategize, and reassure our people that their trust will not be betrayed again,” he concluded.
