News: Our Doors Are Still Open For Shekarau And Bafarawa – APC National Secretary

The Interim National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tijjani Tumsa, said the party would extend the membership registration period to allow interested persons to be registered.

He said the massive turnout of supporters for registration could not be taken care of in five days. Mr. Tumsa made this known after registering at Jawa center in Dapchi Local Government Area of Yobe on Sunday.

He said the doors of the APC were still opened to everyone, including the former governors of Sokoto and Kano, Attahiru Bafarawa and Ibrahim Shekarau, who recently defected to the PDP. "If they want to come back and are willing to respect the party's procedures, they are most welcome," Mr. Tumsa said.

Messrs Bafarawa and Shekarau left the APC for Nigeria's ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after accusing the former of handing over its structures in their respective states to their governors. Governors Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto and Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano decamped from the PDP to the APC in November last year.

Messrs Bafarawa and Shekarau have pledged to work for the success of the PDP in their states in 2015. Still speaking on the APC registration, Mr. Tumsa said the party initially fixed five days for the registration, but the turnout was unprecedented.

"The party is therefore considering extension of the window period with deployment of more materials for the exercise'', he said."Nigerians have truly identified with APC as the only realistic platform and hope for change."

He said the party had received reports of people struggling for registration. "In some cases, the struggle resulted in minor skirmishes but this has been taken care of and that is why we are talking about extension of time," he said.

Mr. Tumsa assured the party's supporters that they would all be accorded equal opportunities to be registered.