APC chairman warns state coordinators over electronic membership registration

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has issued a stern warning to coordinators of the party’s ongoing nationwide electronic membership registration exercise, directing them to ensure that every party member is captured or risk being removed from office.

Yilwatda gave the directive on Monday during a meeting with state registration coordinators at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

The coordinators are drawn largely from the party’s state organising secretaries, except in cases where officials were not trained for the exercise.

The electronic registration, which commenced nationwide earlier this month, is scheduled to end on January 30, 2026.

Addressing the gathering, the APC chairman described the registration exercise as a strategic political reform rather than a mere technical upgrade, noting that its success would strengthen the party’s credibility, mobilisation capacity, internal discipline and electoral performance.

“The position of coordinator is not ceremonial. It is a responsibility to strengthen the party,” Yilwatda said.

“If any coordinator does not get all members registered in his or her state, we will drop you and appoint another person. This is an opportunity to make the party better.”

He reminded the coordinators that they serve as the party’s foot soldiers at the grassroots, stressing that the strength of the APC depends largely on how functional and effective its state and local structures are.

Yilwatda also urged state party chairmen to give full cooperation to the coordinators, emphasising that elections are not won at the national secretariat but at the ward, local government, constituency and senatorial levels.

“Nobody contests elections at the National Secretariat. Elections are won or lost at the state, local government and ward levels. The performance of the party rests squarely on you,” he said.

The APC chairman warned against discrepancies between claimed membership figures and actual electoral performance, describing situations where states boast millions of members but deliver poor election results as unacceptable.

He further disclosed that the National Executive Committee (NEC) had created a conducive environment to ensure the success of the registration exercise, adding that party structures at all levels must begin to reflect real and verifiable membership strength.

In a tougher stance, Yilwatda warned that any state executive committee member who fails to register before the January 30 deadline would be removed from office, noting that NEC has the constitutional authority to enforce compliance.

“This is not negotiable. This warning must be sounded from the state level down to the ward level,” he said.

He also condemned any form of sharp practices aimed at excluding party members from the process, warning that no official, including governors, has the power to prevent any APC member from being registered.

“No chairman, no coordinator, and not even a governor can stop any party member from being registered. No one must be disenfranchised,” he added.

To avoid delays, the APC chairman directed coordinators to deploy Android phones where tablets are unavailable, insisting that no state should stall the exercise due to logistics or lack of devices.

He also advised states to keep costs low by recruiting registration officials from within their wards.

Providing an update on the exercise, Yilwatda revealed that Delta State was leading the registration drive, followed by Lagos, Kebbi, Adamawa and Plateau States, and urged other states to improve their pace.

He said he would review progress again within five days.

Linking the exercise to the reform agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Yilwatda said the party must reflect the same commitment to modernisation, accountability and data-driven decision-making.

“We need accurate data to support the President. We cannot make decisions on faulty premises. This registration must succeed,” he declared.

He explained that the electronic registration, the first of its kind by a political party in Nigeria, would provide the APC with a credible, real-time membership database, enhance internal democracy, improve campaign planning, eliminate fraud and ensure that party resources are deployed based on reliable data.

In their response, the state coordinators commended Yilwatda’s leadership and pledged their full commitment to the success of the exercise, assuring him that party structures would be revitalised at all levels ahead of the deadline.