Cyril Mbah Abuja.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked-off its preparation for the 2027 general election with the official launch of a digital membership registration platform to capture new members and up-date existing member database across the country.
The nationwide initiative points at the efforts of the ruling party to move ahead of rival political parties and it’s commitment to effectively use technology to enhance internal membership processes and maintain its position as a leading political party.
At the signing ceremony which took place at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja between the project consultant Tunmef Global Limited and the party, the National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for endorsing the digital transition programme.
Ganduje described the initiative as a long-conceived project that finally came to being stating that the party will always make history.
“We are always making history as a party. I want to thank Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for approving that we go digital. This programme was conceived a long time ago but didn’t see the light of day until now.”
Ganduje spoke extensively about the importance of digitization in a computer age, particularly as it affects elections and party administration.
He hoped that the process will provide the APC accurate and reliable scientific data, which will be crucial for planning and litigation purposes adding that “Without documentation of this type, we are just beating about the bush.
“But with this exercise, we are sure of having scientific data which we can always use. During litigation, sometimes you look for a membership list and get a controversial one, which complicates your case in court. With e-registration, we can easily retrieve our data as it is,” he said.
Ganduje urged state governors and party chairmen to ensure the successful implementation of the project within the stipulated timeframe.
“The implementation of this project is solely on your back. I am happy you are here to see the details and sign the agreement. You are expected to give full cooperation so that we can have our complete data.”
Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, commended the exercise and described it as a step in the right direction.
Uzodimma said the e-registration exercise would enhance the integrity of the party’s membership register and strengthen its internal democracy.
“If we say we have ten million members, we will know we have ten million members. “When we go to cast our votes, if we have one million or five hundred thousand persons in Lagos State, we expect that at least within our folds, five hundred thousand persons will vote for us because every political party is driven by ideology.”
The APC National Legal Adviser, Prof. AbdulKareem Kana (SAN), explained that the e-registration exercise would link members’ registration numbers to their National Identity Numbers (NIN) pointing out that it will enable the party to access detailed information about its members at the shortest time.
“The party proposed, and it was approved by the governors and the leader of our party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that we convert the membership register of the party to digital form,” Kana said.
