The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has disowned a forged party membership card allegedly bearing the photograph of notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji, describing it as the handiwork of mischief-makers seeking to discredit the party’s ongoing e-registration exercise.
In a statement on Monday, the party said it had discovered a doctored APC membership card circulating online, falsely presenting Turji as a registered party member.
It described the act as a deliberate attempt to undermine the smooth and coordinated conduct of the e-registration programme in the state.
The APC said the forgery was easily detectable, noting irregularities in the date format on the card and the use of a widely recognised photograph of Turji known to security agencies and the public.
The party further stated that valid registration requires a National Identification Number (NIN), which Turji does not possess, making his purported enrolment impossible.
It also noted that the card carried an identification code beginning with “26”, which is assigned to Niger State, rather than Zamfara State, whose registration codes begin with “36”.
According to the statement, preliminary investigations traced the origin of the forged card to a Facebook page linked to Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi (Waziri), who was recently suspended from participating in the e-registration exercise over alleged misconduct.
The party said the matter was under investigation.
“The Zamfara APC hereby completely disassociates itself from the fake membership card with registration number APC 261113000102. The code used does not belong to Zamfara State, clearly exposing the forgery,” the statement said.
The party called on the public to disregard the circulating card, adding that the case had been reported to security agencies for investigation and prosecution of those involved.
