‘No one comes close’ — Yilwatda says APC’s 13m members, structure give it edge over rivals

 Netanwe Yilwatda, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the ruling party’s organisational structure puts it “significantly ahead” of others as the country approaches the 2027 general election.

 

In a statement issued on Sunday by Abimbola Tooki, Yilwatda’s media aide, the APC chairman spoke while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by Victor Foh, former vice-president of Sierra Leone.

 

The mission visited the APC national secretariat in Abuja at the weekend, where it was received by the APC chairman and other members of the party’s national working committee (NWC).

 

He said the party had built an extensive and well-coordinated political organisation that distinguishes it from others and places it in a strong position to mobilise voters and compete effectively in the 2027 elections.

 

 

“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,” Yilwatda said.

 

He said the APC had approximately 13 million registered members spread across all LGAs in Nigeria, as well as elected and appointed executive structures from the ward level through local governments and states to the national level.

 

Yilwatda also highlighted the party’s control of 31 of 36 states, 88 of the 109 seats in the senate, and 208 of the 360 seats in the house of representatives as evidence of its significant presence across the country’s political landscape.

 

 

“These structures are the foundation of our strength. We have built an organisation that reaches every part of the country and gives us the capacity to engage Nigerians across different demographics,” he said.

 

Yilwatda, however, told the ECOWAS mission that the APC remained committed to democratic competition and would not use its advantage to suppress opposition parties.

 

He said all political parties should enjoy equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate opportunities to present their programmes and engage the electorate.

 

The chairman cited public protests against President Bola Tinubu’s administration as evidence that citizens and opposition groups could express their views without being automatically subjected to arrest or intimidation.

 

 

He maintained that a strong ruling party should be confident enough to compete within the rules of democracy while protecting the political space for opposing views.

 

“Being the largest political party does not mean that we want to suppress anybody. We want a democratic environment in which every party can organise, campaign and seek the support of Nigerians without fear,” he said.

 

Foh said the mission would be guided by systematic observation, verification and the collection of reliable data rather than assumptions or arbitrary conclusions.

 

“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,” he said.

 

 

He said the mission was engaging relevant political stakeholders to gather information and perspectives that would assist its assessment of Nigeria’s electoral environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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