The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, says the party’s 13 million registered members, 31 governors and more than 261,000 executive members give it a strong advantage ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Mr Yilwatda made the claim on Saturday while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States, led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh, at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Abimbola Tooki, the APC chairman said the party’s nationwide structures and grassroots strength made it approximately three times larger than its closest political rival.
APC cites membership, elected officials
Mr Yilwatda said the APC had approximately 13 million registered members spread across all local government areas in the country.
He said the party’s membership database included identity cards designed to facilitate verification through members’ National Identification Numbers and voter identification details.
According to him, the APC also has more than 261,000 executive members across its structures from the ward level to the national level.
He said the party controls 31 of Nigeria’s 36 governorship seats, 88 of the 109 Senate seats and 208 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives.
Mr Yilwatda added that the APC also had significant representation in state Houses of Assembly, describing its nationwide structures as a major advantage for grassroots mobilisation and campaign coordination.
Over 7,000 aspirants contested APC primaries
The APC chairman also disclosed that more than 7,000 aspirants contested various positions on the party’s platform ahead of the 2027 elections.
He described the large number of aspirants as evidence of confidence in the party, adding that the APC had recorded relatively few post-primary legal disputes despite the scale of its internal contests.
Mr Yilwatda said some aspirants who lost the APC primaries had subsequently secured tickets from opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress.
He said the APC had inaugurated its campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded its candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission portal.
APC asks INEC to follow timetable
Despite boasting of its numerical and organisational strength, Mr Yilwatda urged INEC to strictly adhere to its published electoral timetable.
He said electoral rules must apply equally to all political parties, stressing that the process should be fair, transparent and predictable.
“We believe INEC should stick to its timetable. The rules must apply equally to every political party,” he said.
The APC chairman also assured the ECOWAS delegation that the party would not use its numerical strength to undermine opposition parties or restrict democratic participation.
He said all political parties should have equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate opportunities to engage voters.
ECOWAS mission assesses Nigeria’s political environment
The head of the ECOWAS mission, Mr Foh, said the delegation was in Nigeria to assess the political environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said the mission would rely on systematic observation, verification and credible data rather than assumptions in preparing its findings and recommendations.
Mr Foh added that the delegation was consulting political stakeholders to gather information on Nigeria’s electoral environment.
INEC has fixed 16 January 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections.
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