APC’s Formidable Structure
OpenLife News reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has declared that its formidable structure and 13 million registered members position the ruling party ahead of other parties for the 2027 general elections, National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda has told the ECOWAS pre-election mission.
The declaration added that its solid organisational structure, extensive nationwide presence and membership strength of approximately 13 million members give it significant advantage over other political parties ahead of 2027 general elections.
The National Chairman of APC, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, made this known while receiving pre-election fact-finding mission of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Victor Bockarie Foh, over weekend, at party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
The Chairman received mission with other members of National Working Committee (NWC).
In statement by Abimbola Tooki, his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Professor Yilwatda said APC had, over years, built extensive and well-coordinated political organisation that distinguishes it from other political parties in Nigeria and places it in strong position to mobilise voters and compete effectively in 2027 elections.
APC Is Largest Party, Three Times Bigger Than Next Party — Yilwatda
According to him, party’s strength is rooted not merely in electoral victories but also in verifiable membership database, grassroots structures, elected representatives, nationwide support groups and established internal processes.
“Our party is the largest political party in Nigeria. In terms of structure, organisation and membership, no other political party comes close to us. We are approximately three times larger than the next political party in the country,” Yilwatda said.
He disclosed that APC had approximately 13 million registered members spread across all local government areas in Nigeria, with detailed records of members and membership identity cards designed to facilitate verification through their National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter identification details.
The National Chairman explained that party’s membership database and identification system provide strong foundation for effective grassroots engagement, mobilisation, internal coordination and electoral planning.
APC Has 261,000 Executives From Ward To National Level
Professor Yilwatda highlighted scale of APC’s organisational network, noting that party maintains elected and appointed executive structures from ward level through local governments and states to national level.
According to him, APC has more than 261,000 executive members across its organisational hierarchy, network he described as major source of its political strength and nationwide reach.
He noted that party’s structure enables it to maintain contact with its members and supporters at grassroots while coordinating political activities and campaign strategies across country.
We Have 31 Governors, 88 Senators, 208 Reps Members
The APC National Chairman also pointed to party’s numerical strength in elected offices as evidence of its national acceptance and organisational reach.
He disclosed that party has 31 governors out of 36, 88 senators out of 109-member Senate and 208 members of House of Representatives out of 360 seats. He added that party also enjoys significant presence in state Houses of Assembly across country.
Yilwatda said this representation provides APC with extensive network of political leadership and elected officials capable of connecting government policies with citizens and mobilising support at federal, state and local government levels.
He stressed, however, that party’s strength is not limited to elected officeholders, as it also enjoys support from broad range of organised groups, including youth, women and persons with disabilities.
“These structures are the foundation of our strength. We have built an organisation that reaches every part of the country and gives us the capacity to engage Nigerians across different demographics,” he said.
Over 7,000 Aspirants Contested APC Tickets For 2027
The APC Chairman further highlighted level of competition witnessed during party’s primary elections, disclosing that more than 7,000 aspirants contested for various positions ahead of 2027 general elections.
He argued that large number of aspirants reflected confidence many politicians have in APC platform and competitive character of its internal electoral processes.
Despite number of aspirants, Yilwatda said party had recorded relatively few post-primary court cases compared with scale of its contests, describing this as indication of its efforts to manage internal competition and resolve disagreements.
He also observed that several politicians who failed to secure APC tickets subsequently obtained tickets from opposition parties, including African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to him, this development underscores APC’s attractiveness to politicians and intensity of competition for its tickets.
APC Ready For 2027, Has Uploaded Candidates To INEC Portal
Professor Yilwatda stated that APC had presented candidates for all available elective positions it was contesting in 2027 general elections, describing development as evidence of its readiness and nationwide reach.
He contrasted this with reported difficulties some opposition parties had encountered in fielding candidates for certain positions and completing their candidate-submission processes.
He further disclosed that APC had released its campaign council list, inaugurated council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded its candidates to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal ahead of its rivals.
The Chairman said party expected INEC to maintain strict adherence to its published electoral timetable, arguing that consistent application of rules was essential to ensuring fairness among all political parties.
“We believe INEC should stick to its timetable. The rules must apply equally to every political party. The electoral process must be fair, transparent and predictable, without adjusting deadlines in a manner that gives any party an undue advantage,” he statstate
We Won’t Suppress Opposition, Every Party Deserves Fair Chance
Despite its acknowledged numerical and organisational advantage, Yilwatda assured ECOWAS mission that APC remained committed to democratic competition and would not use its position to suppress opposition parties.
He said all political parties should enjoy equal access to media, campaign venues and other legitimate opportunities to present their programmes and engage electorate.
The Chairman cited public protests against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, including “Tinubu Must Go” demonstrations, as evidence that citizens and opposition groups could express their views without being automatically subjected to arrest or intimidation.
“Being the largest political party does not mean that we want to suppress anybody. We want a democratic environment in which every party can organise, campaign and seek the support of Nigerians without fear,” he said.
ECOWAS Mission Says Monitoring Is Scientific, Not Arbitrary
Earlier, head of ECOWAS pre-election fact-finding mission, former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Victor Bockarie Foh, explained that mission was undertaking political assessment aimed at contributing to organisation of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria.
Foh said mission’s work would be guided by systematic observation, verification and collection of reliable data rather than assumptions or arbitrary conclusions.
“Our monitoring is scientific, and our decisions on issues are based on scientific observation. We verify information before making any pronouncement, and we use a robust application system to collect data. Our reports are therefore not arbitrary,” he said.
He expressed confidence that engagement would contribute meaningfully to mission’s understanding of political landscape and conditions under which elections would be conducted.
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