APC’s Big Ambition: Targeting 9 Million Registered Members Ahead of 2027 Elections

The All Progressives Congress says it has seen a huge increase in its nationwide membership drive since the debut of its computerized registration platform, with over two million people registering in only one week.

Senator Ajibola Basiru, the party's National Secretary, announced this to journalists in Abuja on Monday, stating that the APC expects between eight and nine million registered members in the coming days.

However, the opposition party voiced concern, claiming that the e-registration was part of a larger 2027 rigging conspiracy.

Last year, the APC's National Executive Committee, together with other party organs, endorsed the use of computerized registration to precisely determine the party's total membership numbers across the country.

Basiru noted that the online nature of the exercise allows for real-time monitoring, openness, and credibility.

"The National Executive Committee is the party's second most influential institution. And it stated that by the end of January, all of our members should be digitally identified. The importance of registration is highlighted by the fact that data is critical to the operational efficiency of any organisation, including a political party that thrives on leader mobilisation, organizing, and consultation. The National Chairman also directed the state coordinators to guarantee that the exercise is fully operational before the end of the week.

"And, of course, if any states are discovered to be lacking, we at the National Working Committee have been granted the authority to modify the status of state coordinators if they are no longer active. Of course, we are also tasked with investigating the state-by-state membership registration process.

"We are pleased to inform the Nigerian people that, just a week into the exercise, and with many states yet to begin full throttle, there are already over two million registered APC members who have been digitally verified and have their names and voter identification numbers.

"We emphasise that in a couple of days, particularly when we make another assessment by next week, we should be in the region of about eight or nine million in membership, by the grace of God."

Basiru urged all party stakeholders across the states to take the exercise seriously, characterizing it as critical to establishing a robust and organic party capable of mobilising Nigerians in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope agenda.

"We also applaud the participation of all of our party stakeholders at the state level. They have dedicated time, energy, and resources to ensure the exercise's success," he added.

Meanwhile, the APC's National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has directed all coordinators of the ongoing nationwide electronic registration exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to ensure that every party member is registered, warning that failure will result in sanctions.

According to a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, Yilwatda gave the command during a meeting with state registration coordinators at the party's National Secretariat in Abuja.

According to the statement, all State Organising Secretaries serve as exercise coordinators, with the exception of those who have not been trained.

The registration period is set to finish on January 30, 2026.

According to the APC chairman, the coordinator's role is not ceremonial, but rather a responsibility to build the party.

"If any coordinator does not have all members enrolled in his or her state, we will remove you and assign someone else. "Your position provides an opportunity to improve the party," he remarked.

Yilwatda reminded the coordinators that elections are won on the ground.
"No one runs for election to the national secretariat. Election results are determined at the state, senatorial, constituency, local government, and ward levels. "The party's success is entirely dependent on you," he said.

 He cautioned against inflated membership counts that do not represent electoral results.

The chairman also advised against preventing any member from participating in the registration procedure.

"No chairman, coordinator, or even a governor has the authority to prevent any party member from being registered. "No one should be disenfranchised," he stressed.

Yilwatda provided an update, saying Delta State is currently dominating the registration effort, followed by Lagos, Kebbi, Adamawa, and Plateau states.


Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State became the state's first APC member on Monday, obtaining membership number 001 while launching the e-registration operation at RCM Primary School in Ihugh, Vandeikya Local Government Area.

Speaking after the exercise, Alia asked party chairmen and ward leaders to mobilise members, stressing that registration agents had been deployed in all council wards.

He warned members against actions that could distort the exercise and urged peaceful collaboration at the ward level.

The governor hailed his registration as a sign of acceptability ahead of his re-election campaign, and he thanked the APC leadership for launching the effort.

In Adamawa State, the APC Unity Forum warned against intentions by some party leaders to install candidates.
Speaking at a news conference in Yola on Sunday, the forum's Director General, Alhaji Abubakar Hamma, stated that only free, fair, and credible primaries could ensure election triumph.

"We will ensure that all party members have an equal opportunity to participate in the process, and that the outcome reflects the will of the party faithful."

"We understand the importance of maintaining the trust and confidence of our members, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that the primary election is conducted in a transparent and accountable manner."

He went on to say, "Let me assure you that there will be no candidate imposition, and that the election will be free of manipulation or interference." We will preserve the values of internal democracy and ensure that the best candidate emerges to represent our Party in the next elections."

Hamma encouraged members to report any abnormalities.

"Together, we build a stronger, more united Party that will deliver for our great nation."

Opposition kicks.

The opposition Labour Party and the New Nigeria People's Party raised concerns about what they described as early attempts by the ruling APC to rig the 2027 general election, following the party's claim that its ongoing electronic membership registration would result in up to nine million new members within weeks.

The opposition parties issued the warning during separate interviews with The PUNCH.

They spoke amid a rising political dispute over the APC's digital registration drive, which the party's leadership claims garnered over two million registrants in its first week and might reach eight to nine million within two weeks.

Senator Nenadi Usman, interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, responded by warning that the figures released by the ruling party should be properly investigated, adding that electoral manipulation often begins long before election day.

Usman expressed the party's position in an exclusive interview with her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa.

"Nigerians must carefully examine the numbers that the APC government is releasing. The truth is that polls are not manipulated on Election Day. "They're rigged months and years before the main election," Asogwa claimed.

He disputed assertions made by several APC leaders and governors about the number of persons who registered through the e-membership exercise.

"I've heard and read a lot of comments regarding this APC e-registration stuff. In fact, I heard a few days ago that the Enugu governor boasted of registering two million individuals in the ongoing e-membership campaign.

"I'm left wondering if he knows the total population of his state before making such a promise to the APC. This is even coming from Enugu State, which has not traditionally supported the APC. Mbah is just doing it because he is the governor," he stated.

According to the Labour Party, the APC's boast of recruiting nine million members in two weeks was intended to provide justification for exaggerated election results.

"These are preparations for rigging the 2027 election. If a political party claims to have 9 million new members in two weeks, it will be easy to give out figures since every member of the party is expected to vote for their candidates," Asogwa stated.

"As a result, they're planning to inform us that they already have 9 million votes in the bank. In truth, that number does not exist anywhere.

He was surprised that Nigerians and opposition leaders had kept mainly mute on the matter.

"But I'm shocked that Nigerians and opposition leaders are remaining silent while the ruling party gathers numbers. "I completely dispute that figure," he continued.

Asogwa also mentioned inconsistencies during past voter registration processes.

"That's also how INEC came up with continuous voter registration the last time, and Osun State created millions of voters overnight. And I keep wondering how they got up with such a figure in Osun.

"I'm not talking about Lagos, Kano, Rivers, or any state with a large population. We are discussing a minor state, such as Osun, here. "Where did they get it," he inquired.

Similarly, the NNPP's National Publicity Secretary, Ladipo Johnson, dismissed the APC's assertion as typical propaganda, arguing that prior exercises had not resulted in electoral strength.

"This is nothing new. They once did one, and God only knows how many members they claimed to have enrolled. They didn't even receive half of the votes from the so-called members," Johnson claimed.

"We're used to their tricks. This is nothing new. Even Nigerians are aware of the situation and have grown accustomed to it. It poses absolutely no threat.

"How many sane Nigerians will go and waste their time registering for such a thing?"


The remarks came after the APC National Working Committee announced that their nationwide digital membership registration was experiencing unparalleled success.


Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the party's National Chairman, told journalists on Monday that the exercise would reach nine million registered members within the first two weeks.

In the same vein, the party's National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, revealed that more than two million Nigerians have already registered in just one week.

"We are happy to inform Nigerians that just a week into the exercise, those who have registered as members of the APC are already over 2 million," according to Basiru.

"We expect to have 8-9 million registered members by next week, when we conduct another assessment."

"Any state that is found lagging, the National Working Committee has been given the latitude to change the coordinator of such state."

"How many sane Nigerians will go and waste their time registering for such a thing?"

The remarks came after the APC National Working Committee announced that their nationwide digital membership registration was experiencing unparalleled success.

Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the party's National Chairman, told journalists on Monday that the exercise would reach nine million registered members within the first two weeks.

In the same vein, the party's National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, revealed that more than two million Nigerians have already registered in just one week.

"We are happy to inform Nigerians that just a week into the exercise, those who have registered as members of the APC are already over 2 million," according to Basiru.

"We expect to have 8-9 million registered members by next week, when we conduct another assessment."

"Any state that is found lagging, the National Working Committee has been given the latitude to change the coordinator of such state."

With the 2027 elections still some time away, the heated confrontations highlight escalating political tension, as opposition parties accuse the APC of laying the stage for electoral fraud through what they call inflated membership counts.