2027: APC claims edge with 13m members, 261,000 excos

The All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that its solid organisational structure and membership strength of about 13 million members position it ahead of other parties for the 2027 general elections.

The National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, stated this while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh, at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

However, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has raised concerns after a phone stolen from members of his team during an attack in Ado-Ekiti was allegedly traced to a location opposite the Ekiti State Governor’s Office.

Yilwatda, who received the mission alongside other members of the National Working Committee (NWC), said the APC has built an extensive and well-coordinated political organisation that distinguishes it from other parties and places it in a strong position to mobilise voters.

According to him, the party’s strength is rooted not only in its past electoral victories but in its verifiable membership database, grassroots structures, elected representatives, nationwide support groups and internal processes.

“Our party is the largest political party in Nigeria. In terms of structure, organisation and membership, no other political party comes close to us. We are approximately three times larger than the next political party in the country,” he said.

He disclosed that the APC has about 13 million registered members across all local government areas, with detailed records and identity cards verifiable through National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter details, providing a strong foundation for grassroots engagement and electoral planning.

The chairman said the party maintains elected and appointed executive structures from ward to national level, with more than 261,000 executive members, and currently has 31 governors out of 36, 88 senators out of 109, and 208 members of the House of Representatives out of 360, besides a strong presence in state assemblies.

He also said the party enjoys support from organised groups including youths, women and persons with disabilities, and pointed to the high level of competition in its primaries, where over 7,000 aspirants contested for various positions ahead of 2027.

Despite the large number of aspirants, he said the party recorded relatively few post-primary court cases, which he described as evidence of its internal conflict management, adding that several aspirants who failed to secure APC tickets later obtained tickets from opposition parties such as the ADC and NDC.

Yilwatda said the APC had presented candidates for all elective positions it is contesting, released and inaugurated its campaign council, commenced campaigns and uploaded its candidates list to the INEC portal ahead of rivals, and he urged INEC to strictly adhere to its timetable without adjusting deadlines to favour any party.

He assured the ECOWAS mission that despite its numerical advantage, the APC remains committed to democratic competition, equal access to media and campaign venues for all parties, and cited the “Tinubu Must Go” protests as evidence that opposition views are expressed without automatic intimidation.

Earlier, delegation leader Foh said the ECOWAS mission was undertaking a political assessment to contribute to free, fair and transparent elections, guided by scientific observation, verification and robust data collection, and he commended Yilwatda for providing valuable insight into the party’s structure and preparations for the 2027 general elections.

In a post on Sunday, November 1, 2026, Sowore said two devices taken during the attack on Friday, October 30, had been tracked to locations within the state capital.

According to him, one phone was traced to a location directly opposite the governor’s office, while the other device was located opposite Fajuyi Park in Ado-Ekiti.

He also accused the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, DSS, of failing to release CCTV footage seized from Tawakalitu Restaurant, where his team was attacked.

“This morning, we tracked two of the devices violently robbed from members of our team during the brutal attack in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, October 30, 2026, and the locations are deeply disturbing.

“One phone was traced to a location directly opposite the office of the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, while our other device was located opposite Fajuyi Park in Ado-Ekiti.

“Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force and the DSS have yet to release the CCTV footage seized from Tawakalitu Restaurant, where we were attacked,” he said.

“Release the CCTV footage now,” Sowore demanded.