Ojotu Ojema, a House of Representatives member from Benue State, has said that juicy jobs and scholarship slots will only be given to Nigerians who belong to the ruling All Progressives Congress, particularly those who have an APC identification card and linked their NIN to it to prove full membership.

Speaking at an event organised by the National Association of Agatu Students, the lawmaker advised his constituents to join the party so as not to be deprived of admission, career and other life-changing opportunities reserved for only card-carrying APC members.

“If you are not in APC and job opportunities come, nobody may consider you if your NIN is not registered with APC. You may lose the opportunity. Don’t let anybody deceive you. Follow APC,” Mr Ojema said in an address on 

He said APC, being the party that produced President Bola Tinubu, wields strong influence that extends beyond politics, reaching across all sectors to offer benefits exclusive to party members.

“If you know it is not just about politics but about opportunities, get your APC card and be a member,” said Mr Ojema.  “Go and collect it, because tomorrow, when you are looking for admission into a school, remember that the president of this country belongs to the APC.”

Mr Ojema, who represents the Apa/Agatu federal constituency at the 10th Assembly, said the APC has continued to record massive registrations from defectors who abandoned other parties for Mr Tinubu’s party, suggesting the benefits and contracts they stood to secure motivated their defection.

“We have 36 states plus the FCT, making 37. About 30 governors are already in APC, plus the FCT, making 31, and more are still joining. So follow APC,” Mr Ojema said in his address to the constituents.

The lawmaker’s statement has sparked angry reactions from Nigerians who believe the nation is a multi-party state and deem it unfair to limit the nation’s resources to members of the ruling party alone.

Netizens like Nwafor Austine labelled Mr Ojetu’s remark an anti-Christ and endtime move, referencing the book of Revelation in the Bible, which speaks about the 666 mark and how people could only access government benefits after receiving it.

“I think APC is the 666 they were teaching us when we were little,” Mr Austine wrote on X. “Get registered or lose ur job, gradually it’ll spread to get registered, or you can’t purchase anything in the market.”

“So being a Nigerian citizen is no longer enough? You now need an APC card to breathe?” X user Chris Aspirewealth wrote in a post, citing, “Section 42 of the Constitution clearly prohibits discrimination, yet a lawmaker is boldly telling students that ‘jobs and admissions’ are for party members only.

​”We’ve moved from ‘Government of the people’ to ‘Government of the APC, by the APC, for the APC.’ This is a new low.”

User Pros4luv wrote, “This tyrannical declaration from the APC Benue rep member reeks of fascism and division; we want a Nigeria where opportunities are based on merit, not party loyalty! APC is synonymous to retrogression.”