Ahead of the All Progressives Congress gubernatorial primary in Ondo, seven governorship aspirants have petitioned the suspended APC chair, Abdullahi Ganduje, over the printing of alleged fake membership cards. 

Sixteen guber aspirants, including Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, are jostling for the APC governorship ticket. 

The petition came barely three days to the April 20 primary of the party. The petition was jointly signed and made public on Wednesday by Jimoh Ibrahim, Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa, Diran Iyantan, Dayo Faduyile, Gbenga Edema and Jimi Odimayo. 

The petition said, “We have been inundated by reports that a particular aspirant has gone ahead with massive printing of fake party slips, which he has distributed to a lot of persons who are not even our party members. The intention of this aspirant is to corrupt the integrity of the membership register on the day of the primary by making accreditation of party members impossible as non-party members have already been recruited to flood the venues of the primary election that day.

“This massive and pervasive production of the membership cards will certainly precipitate a situation where everyone holding membership cards, notwithstanding that their names are not on the register, will be allowed to vote without accreditation. Voting without accreditation remains illegal and unacceptable.” 

While urging the party’s leadership to ensure Saturday’s primary is conducted in adherence to the dictates of the electoral act to avoid risky litigation, the aggrieved aspirants advised the party to make member accreditation mandatory at the election venue.

They also urged that every party member whose name appears on the membership register and is already certified by INEC should be allowed to vote once they can present their membership slip for accreditation.

“Mr Chairman should note that section 77(2) (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, makes it mandatory for all political parties to have a credible membership register, which must be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC and certified by it, not later than 30 days before the Congress.

“To avoid any legal or constitutional conundrum, we advise that the party makes accreditation of party members mandatory at the election venue and that every member of the party whose name appears on the membership register already certified by INEC should be allowed to vote once he/she is able to present his/her membership slip for accreditation,” the aspirants stressed in the petition.

The petition added, “It is our prayer, therefore, that the leadership of the party make available to us the membership register already validly certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC as the only lawful register to be used by the party for the conduct of the primary election slated for 20/04/2024. No other register can lawfully be used for the said primary election.”

Last week, a group within the APC claimed that Mr Aiyedatiwa was printing fake APC registers and membership cards for non-members of the party. But the governor’s campaign organisation was quick to deny the allegation, saying the party membership card, which will be confirmed digitally, is a prerequisite for voting.