* Party claims 13m members, 31 govs
* Targets 3m votes in Osun, Cross River
By Teddy Nwanunobi
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is plotting a landslide victory for President Bola Tinubu, leveraging an existing base of 13 million registered members, the control of 31 state governors, and more than 261,000 executive members.
To further solidify this political dominance, the ruling party is aggressively targeting three million additional members across strategic states, with a specific focus on Osun and Cross River.
The party’s National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, stated this on Saturday while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President, Victor Bockarie Foh, at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his media aide, Abimbola Tooki, Yilwatda said the party’s nationwide structures and grassroots strength made it approximately three times larger than its closest rival.
He said the APC’s strength went beyond electoral victories, citing its membership records, grassroots network, elected officials, support groups and established internal structures.
The statement quoted Yilwatda as saying, “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 disclosed that the APC had approximately 13 million registered members spread across all local government areas in Nigeria, with detailed records of members and membership identity cards designed to facilitate verification through their National Identification Numbers and voter identification details.
“The national chairman explained that the party’s membership database and identification system provide a strong foundation for effective grassroots engagement, mobilisation, internal coordination and electoral planning.
“Professor Yilwatda highlighted the scale of the APC’s organisational network, noting that the party maintains elected and appointed executive structures from the ward level through local governments and states to the national level.”
Yilwatda said the party’s nationwide structures strengthened its grassroots engagement and campaign coordination, while its elected representatives reflected its political reach across the country.
According to the statement, the APC has more than 261,000 executive members across its organisational hierarchy, a network the chairman described as a major source of its political strength and nationwide reach.
It said, “He disclosed that the party has 31 governors out of 36, 88 senators out of the 109-member Senate and 208 members of the House of Representatives out of 360 seats. He added that the party also enjoys a significant presence in state Houses of Assembly across the country.
“Yilwatda said this representation provides the APC with an extensive network of political leadership and elected officials capable of connecting government policies with citizens and mobilising support at the federal, state and local government levels.
“He stressed, however, that the party’s strength is not limited to elected officeholders, as it also enjoys support from a broad range of organised groups, including youth, women and persons with disabilities.”
The Chairman added that the APC had inaugurated its campaign council, commenced activities and uploaded its candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s portal ahead of rival parties.
The statement said Yilwatda expected INEC to adhere strictly to its published electoral timetable, arguing that consistent application of the rules was essential to ensuring fairness among political parties.
“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,” he said.
He stressed that the APC’s preparations for the 2027 general elections were based on its organisational capacity, candidate readiness and nationwide structures rather than an assumption that electoral victory was automatic.
Earlier, the head of the ECOWAS mission and former Sierra Leone Vice-President, Victor Bockarie Foh, said the team was assessing Nigeria’s political environment to support the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections.
He said the mission’s findings would be based on systematic observation, verification and credible data rather than assumptions.
Foh said the team would rely on scientific observations, verified information and data collected through its application system to guide its findings and recommendations.
He added that the mission was consulting relevant political stakeholders to gather information and perspectives for its assessment of Nigeria’s electoral environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a related development, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has called for unity among political interests in Osun State ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence that Tinubu could secure 1.5 million votes in the state.
The former Osun State governor urged members of the ruling APC to intensify grassroots mobilisation and work towards securing maximum votes for all the party’s candidates in the elections.
Oyetola made the call in an address obtained on Sunday at the launch of the 10,000-member door-to-door canvassers’ initiative under the aegis of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, an initiative sponsored by Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, to support Tinubu’s re-election.
The event was held in Osogbo, Osun State.
Represented by the APC governorship candidate in the August 15 election in the state, Bola Oyebamiji, the minister commended the large turnout of party members, saying their mobilisation efforts should extend beyond the presidential election to securing victory for other APC candidates contesting seats in the National and State Assemblies.
He said, “I appeal to all political leaders, interest groups, individuals and stakeholders to rise above selfish interests, personal ego and political differences. Let us demonstrate that political differences need not prevent us from pursuing a shared national objective.
“With unity of purpose, effective grassroots mobilisation and unwavering commitment, we can deliver the 1.5 million votes targeted for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Osun State and secure victory for our party’s candidates at all levels.”
Oyetola also said the Tinubu presidential campaign was gaining momentum across the South West, urging the canvassers to approach their assignment with dedication and selflessness.
He said, “This gives us an enormous responsibility to ensure that the South West delivers overwhelming votes for our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the forthcoming general election.
“While other political parties and their candidates are yet to demonstrate comparable levels of coordination and organisation across the zone, we must not take anything for granted.”
The minister commended Tompolo for his commitment to the Renewed Hope project, particularly his decision to finance the door-to-door mobilisation initiative, which he described as an important campaign drive in the state.
Thirty campaign vehicles purchased by Tompolo for the initiative were unveiled at the launch of the 10,000-member door-to-door canvassers’ movement in Osun.
Similarly, former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Betta Edu, has set a target of 1.5 million votes from Cross River for Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
Ms Edu, co-chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Mobilisation Directorate, made the declaration on Sunday in Calabar during an empowerment programme that benefited about 500 market women, petty traders and artisans.
She said the initiative, organised at the instance of First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, was designed to improve women’s economic livelihoods and strengthen grassroots mobilisation.
Ms Edu said beneficiaries received N50,000 each, along with business and household equipment, including deep freezers, blenders, and toasters.
According to her, the intervention targets petty traders whose businesses are constrained by inadequate capital.
Ms Edu urged residents of the state to support Tinubu, Governor Bassey Otu, and other APC candidates as the party is banking on grassroots women’s mobilisation to strengthen its electoral fortunes in the state.
She expressed confidence that the state would deliver more than 1.5 million votes for the ruling party, adding that the directorate was establishing support structures for women across the country.
Ms Edu disclosed that the empowerment programme would be extended to other parts of Cross River, with Abi Local Government Area scheduled to benefit in November or December, while the northern senatorial district would be reached in January.
The former minister also highlighted some federal government interventions, including the student loan scheme and free maternal healthcare, as measures aimed at improving the welfare of Nigerians.
As part of the mobilisation activities, she led members of the directorate on a visit to the General Hospital, Calabar, where they interacted with patients, pregnant women and children receiving treatment and offered financial and emotional support.
She said the hospital outreach was undertaken by the First Lady ahead of the APC rally scheduled to be held in Calabar on Monday.
Ms Edu also cited subsidised dialysis services and free maternal healthcare as interventions to improve healthcare access and reduce maternal mortality.
One of the beneficiaries, Esther Bassey, pledged her support for the APC in 2027, saying she and her family would vote for the party.
Daily NewsCraft reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections.