Cynthia Ezegwu
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed concern over the poor turnout in its ongoing e-membership registration exercise, urging state chairmen to take ownership of the process and ensure full participation across all senatorial districts.
The warning was issued on Thursday during the APC e-Membership Registration Train-the-Trainers Workshop for state and FCT party chairmen held in Abuja. The party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, disclosed that while a few states have made commendable progress, many others have barely started.
“Up till now, there are states that have not even done anything. It is only those sent to represent the senatorial districts who have so far registered. We at the national secretariat and state organising secretaries are closely looking at the data daily to see how many members have cued in each of the state secretariats,” Argungu said.
According to him, Delta State leads the registration drive with 296,508 members, while several states have recorded minimal participation: Edo and Cross River, nine members each; Nasarawa and FCT, five; Ogun, 292; Osun, eight; Imo, three; Enugu, none; and Oyo, 93.
Argungu emphasised that only members with valid INEC voter cards should be registered, noting that this ensures that registered members are eligible to vote and be voted for.
The workshop was designed to familiarise state party leaders with the digital registration system, aimed at cleaning up the party’s membership data and building a credible, verifiable digital database. Argungu said the initiative is expected to improve transparency, strengthen mobilisation, and enhance organisational integrity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He noted that over five million members have been validated so far, reflecting the party’s commitment to modernisation and organisational reform under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
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The e-membership drive was introduced following revelations by APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, who previously dismissed the party’s claimed 45 million membership as inflated. Basiru noted that the 2023 general elections exposed the discrepancy, as APC presidential candidate Bola Tinubu received fewer than 10 million votes despite the supposed massive membership.
Basiru said the new digital and biometric-based system, linked with members’ National Identification Numbers (NIN), is intended to restore credibility and integrity to the party’s internal database.
Former APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, also endorsed the reform, explaining that the digital register would serve as a tool for planning, candidate verification, and future decision-making within the party.
The e-registration exercise, now in its state-level implementation phase, is aimed at strengthening the APC’s organisational structure and credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.