APC Targets Over 20 Million Members as Digital Registration Nears 12 Million
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced it is targeting a membership base exceeding 20 million nationwide, as its ongoing electronic registration drive nears 12 million entries. National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, disclosed the figure on TVC on Sunday, addressing earlier skepticism about the party’s projection.
Yilwatda confirmed the party has surpassed 11 million registered members and is rapidly approaching the 12 million mark. He emphasized that the e-registration exercise remains open and continuous, stating, “We are not closing our registration.” The chairman clarified that while a physical register will be printed to meet submission deadlines to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the party’s national convention, the digital enrollment process itself is permanent.
The chairman highlighted the robustness of the electronic system, which captures comprehensive data including National Identity Numbers (NIN), addresses, and specific polling unit and ward details. This, he said, ensures all registrants are verified Nigerians, directly countering any allegations of foreign registration. “Today, we have the identity number of all our members,” Yilwatda stated. “Nobody can claim that we brought people from Niger, Chad, or anywhere else.”
This detailed database is poised to transform the party’s operational strategy. Yilwatda explained the data will significantly enhance grassroots mobilization, allowing candidates to access verified member contacts and addresses within specific wards for targeted campaigning. He noted that in some concentrated areas, winning an election could theoretically be achieved by rallying only registered party members.
Furthermore, the digital register facilitates large-scale policy research and political analysis across wards, local governments, and states without extensive physical fieldwork. This data-driven approach is intended to sharpen the party’s electoral strategy and internal planning.
The submission of the printed register to INEC is a mandatory step for party compliance, but the continuous digital enrollment underscores the APC’s long-term ambition to build a vast, verified, and analytically powerful membership network ahead of future electoral cycles.
