Following the emergence of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just-concluded 2021 National Convention, over 170,000 Nigerians in Benue State have applied for the ongoing e-registration of the party.
Recalls that Ayu, after emerging as chairman at the convention held in Abuja, immediately called on Nigerians to join the party to help rescue the country from “APC misrule”.
A few days after, there has been massive defection into the party as Nigerians of all classes rush to acquire membership of the opposition party across the country.
The development was disclosed by Bemgba Iortyom, Publicity Secretary of PDP, Benue State chapter, in a statement he issued and made available to newsmen on Thursday.
The statement reads in part, “already elder statesmen, associates and political peers of the National Chairman-elect have contacted him, expressing renewed faith in the country’s democratic process with his emergence on the scene as PDP’s helmsman.
“They have also commenced the process of applying for and acquiring membership of the party with a number of them enthusing that with Dr. Ayu leading the way, the mission embarked upon by PDP to rescue Nigeria from misrule by APC is achievable.
“Similarly information gathered from the desk of Benue State’s representative on the National Technical Committee on E-Registration of the PDP, Mr. David Mzer the online registration portal data shows that as at 3 pm, on Monday, November 1st, 2021, out of the 172,351 applications from Benue State, 102,230 applications were new members, intending to join the party, while 70,121 were old members who applied for revalidation of their membership.
“This was barely 24 hours after the emergence of Dr. Ayu as the party’s National Chairman-elect and it represents a sharp increase in the number of both old and intending members from the state who had applied on the party’s registration portal, www.iampdp.com to be registered before the official flag-off of the exercise in Benue State, which will involve the deployment of registration agents to capture people in their wards.
“This rush to gain PDP membership has also been witnessed in other states of the country, resulting in more traffic on the party’s membership registration portal and it is no coincidence that this is happening closely on the heels of the emergence of the 3rd Republic Senate President as the party’s chief strategist and administrator”.
