APC Membership Database Dispute Raises Questions Over Verification
A dispute over errors in the All People’s Congress (APC) membership database has raised questions about the party’s responsibility for verifying membership information before it is used in internal elections.
Abu Bakarr Kargbo, who identified himself during an interview as an APC National Secretariat official, said some inaccuracies in the database originated from information submitted by members during registration. He argued that the Secretariat processes information provided by members and does not necessarily have the authority to alter entries submitted by them.
Kargbo compared the process to passport applications, where applicants provide personal information that is subsequently processed by the relevant authority. During the interview, he referred to a database containing about 200,000 records, although that figure could not be independently verified from the public sources reviewed.
The exchange, however, raised a separate question about the Secretariat’s role in checking and verifying membership information before electoral lists are published.
The interviewer challenged the suggestion that members should bear primary responsibility for errors that remain in a published register, arguing that the Secretariat has a verification function and should therefore also be responsible for identifying and addressing inaccuracies.
The issue is relevant to the APC’s internal electoral process because the party’s 2022 Constitution requires it to maintain a membership register in both physical and electronic forms. The constitution also provides for membership applications to be considered by the National Secretary-General, district executive or relevant branch.
The party has since developed and deployed its Membership Engagement and Management System (MEMS). The APC’s official membership platform describes MEMS as supporting digital registration, membership records and election-data management.
Questions surrounding verification have also arisen during the APC’s recent internal electoral process. In July, the National Secretariat republished its register of eligible voters and instructed members to review the document and report concerns, omissions or discrepancies before constituency elections were conducted.
The Political Parties Regulation Commission subsequently directed the APC to publish comprehensive lists of candidates for its constituency elections and required the lists to be made more accessible, including through physical copies at district offices.
The database dispute therefore involves two distinct stages of the process: the accuracy of information supplied by members during registration and the verification checks conducted by the party before that information is relied upon for internal elections.
The interview, on its own, does not establish which party structure was responsible for any particular disputed entry. Determining that would require access to the relevant registration records, verification procedures and the specific membership data in question.