The ruling All Progressives Congress has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to maintain the integrity of its published schedule for the 2027 general elections, warning that any adjustment capable of favouring a particular party would undermine public confidence in the process.
The party’s national chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, made the call in Abuja while receiving a pre-election assessment delegation from the Economic Community of West African States, which was led by Victor Foh, a former vice-president of Sierra Leone.
Details of the engagement, held at the APC’s national secretariat and attended by members of its National Working Committee, were made public on Sunday in a statement by Abimbola Tooki, the chairman’s Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy.
Yilwatda stressed that the electoral body should not shift its deadlines, arguing that uniform rules are essential to credible polls. According to him, the process must be fair, transparent and predictable, and no party should be placed at an advantage through deadline adjustments.
He observed that the APC had moved faster than its rivals in setting up its campaign council, launching its campaign and submitting candidates’ details, while some opposition parties were still grappling with internal processes.
The APC chairman described his party as Nigeria’s largest by a wide margin, saying it has roughly 13 million registered members whose cards can be authenticated through their National Identification Number and voter records.
“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 listed the party’s assets to include over 261,000 executives nationwide, 31 governors, 88 senators and 208 members of the House of Representatives, as well as a strong presence in state assemblies.
Yilwatda also said that despite having more than 7,000 aspirants in its primaries, the party recorded only a handful of legal disputes, adding that many of those who lost APC tickets later secured tickets on the platforms of the ADC and NDC, which he said reflected the intense competition within the ruling party.
He, however, assured the ECOWAS team that the party’s dominance would not be used to stifle the opposition.
“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.
He said all parties should have equal access to the media and campaign venues, citing the “Tinubu Must Go” protests as evidence that dissent was tolerated.
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He also said the party’s engagements with stakeholders after its losses in the Anambra and Osun governorship elections had produced broader alliances for Tinubu’s re-election.
Foh explained that the mission was assessing the political environment ahead of the polls to support a credible process.
“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 thanked the APC chairman for his detailed briefing on the party’s structure and preparations.