All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda has declared that no other party can match the ruling party in terms of its solid organizational structure and extensive nationwide presence.
He said the party’s 13 million membership strength would give it a decisive advantage over opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general election.
Yilwatda spoke on the APC’s formidable base and winning capacity while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) led by former Sierra Leoneian Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
A statement by Abimbola Tooki Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy to the Chairman quoted Yilwatda as saying that years of deliberate political organization have placed the party in a strong position to mobilize voters across Nigeria.
Yilwatda said: ‘Our party is the largest political party in Nigeria. In terms of structure organization and membership no other political party comes close to us. We are approximately three times larger than the next political party in the country.’
The chairman said APC’s 13 million registered members across the country are backed by a verifiable database and membership identity cards linked to the National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter registration details.
He added that APC can boast of over 261000 elected executive officers spanning ward local government state and national structures.
Highlighting the party’s elected representation as proof of national acceptance Yilwatda pointed out that APC holds 31of the 36 state governorship seats 88 seats of 109 in the Senate and 208 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives
He said the party also dominates most of the Houses of Assembly.
Yilwatda said APC remains the primary vehicle for aspirants nationwide recalling that over 7000 aspirants contested during the primaries.
He said while some unsuccessful aspirants defected to pick tickets in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) APC recorded very few post-primary court cases.
Yilwatda said APC has fielded candidates for all elective positions and inaugurated its campaign council adding that its candidate were uploaded on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
The chairman urged the electoral commission to stick strictly to its published election timetable to ensure a fair transparent and predictable contest for all participants.
Yilwatda said: ‘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.’
Yilwatda assured the ECOWAS delegation that the APC remains committed to democratic principles adding that it will not use its strength to intimidate or suppress opposing voices.
He directed attention to the anti-government demonstrations including the recent ‘Tinubu Must Go’ protests as proof that the democratic space is fully protected under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Yilwatda stressed: ‘Being the largest political party does not mean that we want to suppress anybody. We want a democratic environment in which every party can organize campaign and seek the support of Nigerians without fear.’
The Head of the ECOWAS mission Foh commended Yilwatda for the detailed presentation clarifying that the delegation’s assessment would rely strictly on scientific data collection observation and verification.
He said: ‘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.’
Foh explained that the mission was engaging relevant stakeholders to obtain information and perspectives that would assist its assessment of Nigeria’s electoral environment ahead of the elections.
He expressed confidence that the engagement would contribute meaningfully to the mission’s understanding of the political landscape and the conditions for the conduct of the elections.
Foh said the session provided a valuable insight into Nigeria’s political readiness ahead of the polls.