GRASSROOTS POWER MEETS TECHNOLOGY: RIVERS APC LAUNCHES COMPREHENSIVE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION
By Emeka Amaefula
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has taken a bold and irreversible step toward reclaiming its political strength as the State Chairman, Chief Tony Okocha, officially flagged off the party’s electronic membership registration, signaling a clear break from the past and a firm declaration that the APC is ready to compete, mobilize, and win.
The historic flag-off ceremony, held at the APC Rivers State Secretariat in Port Harcourt, attracted a strong turnout of party leaders, members of the State Working Committee, coordinators, and registration trainees drawn from all 23 Local Government Areas of the state. The atmosphere was charged with confidence and renewed purpose, reflecting a party reawakening and repositioning itself for the battles ahead.
With the launch of e-registration, the Rivers APC has dumped the outdated and manipulation-prone manual registration system in favour of a transparent, technology-driven process that guarantees accuracy, credibility, and fairness. The initiative aligns with the APC’s national reform agenda and is designed to deliver a verifiable, tamper-proof membership database that truly captures the party’s grassroots strength while shutting the door against duplication, exclusion, and internal sabotage.
Addressing party stakeholders, Chief Tony Okocha made it unequivocally clear that the exercise is open to all Nigerians in Rivers State without discrimination. “No one will be left behind,” he declared, stressing that the APC belongs to the people and must be rebuilt through collective participation, unity, and inclusiveness. According to him, the era of gatekeeping and exclusion is over, as the party moves to reclaim its status as a mass-based political force.
The State Coordinator of the e-registration exercise, Mr. Silva Sanwi, reinforced this message by charging registration officials to strictly comply with national party guidelines and register every eligible citizen who presents themselves, regardless of their previous political affiliations. He warned that any attempt to frustrate or manipulate the process would undermine the party’s collective objective of building a broad, credible, and united APC in Rivers State.
Rivers State currently has over 4,442 officially recognized polling units, with additional polling stations recently converted, bringing the total to 6,866 polling units spread across 319 wards in the 23 Local Government Areas. Against this backdrop, the APC has set an ambitious target of registering over five million members from an estimated population of about seven million residents. Chief Okocha disclosed this during the Train-the-Trainers “Hands-On Device Application” session, underscoring the scale and seriousness of the exercise.
To ensure efficiency and reach, party registration agents are being equipped with Android phones and tablet devices and have been directed to safeguard the equipment as they move from community to community to carry out the exercise. The digital approach, according to the party leadership, eliminates human interference and strengthens confidence in the outcome of the registration process.
Chief Okocha described the e-registration as the backbone of the party’s future in Rivers State, noting that technology will deepen internal democracy, strengthen accountability, and lay the foundation for credible primaries and effective mobilization. He emphasized that electoral victory is impossible without a solid, verifiable membership structure, adding that the APC is now building from the grassroots upward with clarity of purpose.
The launch of the e-registration exercise therefore marks more than an administrative reform; it is a strategic political statement. It signals that the APC in Rivers State is reorganizing, expanding, and preparing for competitive elections with a renewed sense of direction. With inclusion as its watchword and technology as its tool, the party is positioning itself to reclaim relevance, rebuild trust, and challenge for power.
As the message from the leadership rings loud and clear—no one will be left behind—the Rivers APC appears set to energize its base, welcome new supporters, and project itself as a formidable political force in the state’s evolving political landscape.
—-Emeka Amaefula—-+234 (0)811 181 3069
