The All Progressives Congress says its nationwide membership strength and extensive political network place it in a strong position to compete in the 2027 general elections.
The party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, made the assertion during a meeting with an Economic Community of West African States pre-election fact-finding delegation at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja. The delegation was led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President, Victor Bockarie Foh.
Yilwatda said the ruling party had built a formidable grassroots structure, supported by an estimated 13 million registered members spread across all local government areas in Nigeria. He explained that its membership database was designed to support verification through National Identification Numbers and voter identification details.
The APC chairman also disclosed that the party had over 261,000 executive members operating across its ward, local government, state and national structures. According to him, the network provides the party with the capacity to coordinate activities, engage supporters and mobilise voters across the country.
Highlighting its political representation, Yilwatda said the APC currently controls 31 of Nigeria’s 36 states, with 88 senators and 208 members of the House of Representatives. He added that the party also maintains a strong presence in state legislatures and has organised support groups representing women, youths and persons with disabilities.
On its preparations for the forthcoming elections, the chairman revealed that more than 7,000 aspirants had contested for various positions during the party’s primaries. He described the high number of contestants as evidence of the confidence politicians have in the APC platform, while attributing the relatively few post-primary court disputes to the party’s internal conflict-resolution mechanisms.
He noted that some aspirants who failed to secure APC tickets had moved to opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, describing the development as part of the competitive nature of the party’s nomination process.
Yilwatda further claimed that the APC had completed the nomination of candidates for the elective positions it was contesting, inaugurated its campaign council and commenced preparations ahead of other political parties. He also said its candidates had been uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission portal.
The party chairman called on INEC to maintain strict adherence to its published electoral timetable, insisting that the rules governing the process must be applied equally to all political parties without preferential treatment.
Despite expressing confidence in the APC’s electoral prospects, Yilwatda said the party was committed to protecting democratic participation and would not use its position in government to intimidate or disadvantage opposition parties.
He maintained that opposition groups should enjoy equal opportunities to access the media, organise campaigns and present their political programmes to Nigerians. He cited demonstrations against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the ‘Tinubu Must Go’ protests, as examples of the space available for citizens to express opposing views.
The chairman also recalled the APC’s experience with electoral setbacks in previous governorship contests, particularly in Anambra and Osun states, noting that political defeats had not prevented subsequent engagements and realignments among political actors.
He said such interactions had contributed to wider political cooperation and alliances ahead of President Tinubu’s re-election campaign in 2027.
Earlier, leader of the ECOWAS delegation, Victor Bockarie Foh, said the mission was in Nigeria to assess the political environment and engage relevant stakeholders as part of preparations for the forthcoming general elections.
Foh explained that the delegation’s assessment would rely on verified information, systematic observation and data collection rather than assumptions or unsubstantiated claims.
He said the mission would examine the perspectives of political parties and other stakeholders to develop a clearer understanding of the country’s electoral preparedness and the conditions for conducting credible elections.
The former Sierra Leone vice-president commended the APC leadership for providing detailed information on its membership records, organisational capacity and preparations, saying the engagement would contribute to the mission’s broader assessment of Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 polls.
