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The All Progressives Congress, APC, has stated that it is targeting over 20 million registered members nationwide, as its ongoing electronic membership registration approaches 12 million entries.
National Chairman of the party, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, disclosed this on TVC on Sunday while responding to concerns that the party’s earlier 12.5 million membership projection was too ambitious.
According to Yilwatda, the APC has already crossed the 11 million mark and is steadily closing in on 12 million registered members, stressing that the party has no plans to halt the registration exercise.
“We are targeting over 20 million members. Already, we have crossed 11 million, and we are closing in on 12 million. We are not closing our registration,” he said.
The APC chairman explained that while the party would print its membership register to meet timelines ahead of its convention and submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), membership registration itself remains a continuous process.
“Membership registration is a continuous process,” the APC chairman said. “What we are doing is to print our register so we can meet the timeline to update and submit to INEC before our convention.”
Yilwatda highlighted that the e-registration system captures detailed personal data of members, including National Identity Numbers, addresses, wards, polling units, and local government areas, ensuring transparency and eliminating allegations of non-Nigerians being registered.
“Today, we have the identity number of all our members,” he said. “Nobody can claim that we brought people from Niger, Chad, or anywhere else. They are all Nigerians, known, identified, and tied to their polling units and wards.”
He said the comprehensive database would strengthen grassroots mobilization, campaign planning, internal research, and electoral strategy, noting that candidates could potentially win elections using only verified party members in certain wards.
“If you are contesting in a ward, we can pull our members there, give you their contacts and addresses, and you can reach them directly,” Yilwatda said. “In some places, you can win an election with only our members. That is our target.”
The APC chairman added that the digital register would also enable the party to conduct policy research and political analysis across wards, local governments, states, and zones without physical fieldwork.
Interim National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, David Mark, has said Senate President Godswill Akpabio should not speak for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, regarding electronic transmission of election results.
The Eastern Updates reports that Akpabio had justified the decision of the Senate to reject mandatory electronic transmission of election results, claiming that there is no network in nine states in Nigeria.
Responding to Akpabio’s comments, Mark, a former Senate President, said Akpabio and the Senate should pass the law and allow INEC to decide on the issue of electronic transmission of results.
Speaking in Abuja, the former Senate President said Nigerians want electronic transmission of results.
He said: “What the ADC is saying is, pass the law, and there should be electronic transmission. Let INEC decide whether they can do it (real-time electronic transmission) or not.
“Don’t speak for INEC. Speak for the National Assembly. What the public wants is let there be electronic transmission.
“Now if INEC cannot do it, it’s their own problem and not for you to speak for INEC. It’s as simple as that but that is just a by-the-way issue, it’s not a serious issue.”
Read Also: INEC Chairman Vows To Deliver Credible 2027 Elections
Nigeria’s electoral commission has warned that no election can be considered credible if voters feel unsafe participating, as preparations intensify for a packed election calendar leading up to the 2027 general elections. Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, delivered the warning in Abuja during the first regular meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for 2026.
The meeting brought together senior officials from security, intelligence, and law-enforcement agencies tasked with safeguarding Nigeria’s electoral process.
Amupitan said public confidence in elections depends not only on administrative preparedness but also on the ability of security agencies to protect voters, election workers, and materials throughout the electoral cycle.
Addressing the gathering, Amupitan stressed that elections lose legitimacy when citizens are afraid to vote, regardless of how well the process is planned on paper. “Elections cannot be credible if citizens feel unsafe to participate,” he said, emphasizing that security is central to electoral integrity.
He noted that Nigeria is entering an especially demanding period, with multiple elections scheduled in the lead-up to the 2027 general polls. These include Area Council elections, bye-elections, and off-cycle governorship contests, all of which require coordinated security planning.
According to the INEC chairman, early engagement with security agencies is critical to managing the scale and complexity of upcoming elections.
Amupitan described 2026 as a “very busy electoral year,” saying the volume of elections would test Nigeria’s institutional readiness and inter-agency cooperation. “As we approach the 2027 general election, public interest and expectations continue to rise,” he said. “While the commission has finalized its timetable in line with the law, the scale and complexity of the elections demand early and sustained security engagement.”
He called for enhanced intelligence gathering, proactive deployment strategies, and seamless coordination among agencies to prevent disruptions, particularly in areas historically prone to election-related violence.
