Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Efforts by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to register members across the country through the newly introduced electronic registration suffered a set back on Wednesday, following the outright rejection of the N1000 registration levy imposed on each member.
The pilot phase of the e-registration exercise scheduled to commence in Edo State on Wednesday, failed to take off, as some of the party members kicked against the proposed N1000 registration fee.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh on 23 August, announced that the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, had approved the resuscitation of the online registration of its members, using Edo state as pilot for the project.
According to the party’s NWC, the project which is to be handled by the PDP’s e-Membership Registration Committee, headed by Mr. Raymond Dokpesi, was aimed at returning ownership of the party to its members and strengthening the various structures of the party.
Mr. Dokpesi at a meeting held at the Edo state secretariat located along Sapele Road, explained that the e-Membership registration cards to be issued to the party members would capture their bio-metric information, including banking details.
He also disclosed that a total of 250 machines had been deployed for the exercise in Edo North Senatorial District where the project was to kick off, to ensure that the PDP registered as many members as were willing to join its fold, adding that the party would engage the services of the local government and ward chairman to make the project effective.
“In the far north of Weppa-Wanno, I think we have been sensitising the people and, as of today, all the women that are on the register have been so sensitised and have actually been paying into Skye Bank for this e-registration. It’s N1,000.
“If you like you can pay the N1,000 by your debit card. If you like, you can do it by transfer from whichever bank that is based in Nigeria, details of which will be provided,” Dokpesi announced.
The announcement was however greeted with murmuring among the party members present at the meeting, expressing their unwillingness to pay for the registration.
One of the party members in Oredo Local Government Area who did not want his name mentioned, described the fee as expensive, adding that bulk of the party’s supporters reside in the rural areas.
“That fee is too much for many of us. I do not expect a market woman or farmer, who earns little, to pay that amount just to be a member,” he added.
Acting National Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, however told journalists at the end of the meeting that the party would work out details of the procedures for the exercise, adding that the party had resolved carry out a digital reform in order to re-position it as a national political party.
“The most important thing that everybody has accepted, they have agreed that we must migrate from analogue to digital. In digital, we are able to access everybody. And the people at the local level, through their handsets, can access us on a two-way interaction and this is the way the world is today.
“INEC has been reformed; the political parties must be reformed; our party must be reformed. We must comply digitally and that is why we are here to interact with our members.
“The party will now belong to all. As long as you register, you are a member of the party and you have equal rights,” Secondus said.