Low Participation Alarms APC as E-Membership Registration Lags in Many States

The All Progressives Congress on Thursday expressed concern over the low participation in its ongoing e-membership registration, urging state chairmen to take charge and ensure comprehensive mobilisation across all senatorial districts.

Speaking at the APC e-Membership Registration Train-the-Trainers Workshop for state and FCT chairmen in Abuja, the National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, noted that while a few states had made significant progress, many others had barely begun the process.

“Some states have not taken any meaningful step. Only representatives from the senatorial districts have registered so far,” Argungu said.

He added that the national secretariat, alongside state organising secretaries, was monitoring daily data to track the number of members captured in each state.

Argungu revealed that Delta State currently tops the registration chart with 296,508 members, whereas states such as Edo and Cross River have only registered nine members each, Nasarawa and the FCT five each, Ogun 292, Osun eight, Imo three, Enugu none, and Oyo 93.

He maintained that only members with valid INEC voter cards should be registered, noting that this affirms their eligibility to vote and be voted for.

Argungu explained that the workshop was organised to familiarise state leaders with the digital system designed to sanitise the party’s membership data. “This initiative will produce a credible and verifiable database of APC members nationwide, enhance transparency, and strengthen mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections,” he stated.

He added that over five million members had already been validated, reflecting the party’s renewed commitment to organisational integrity under President Bola Tinubu and National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.

Recalling past inconsistencies, Argungu noted that the party had previously relied on inaccurate figures. The e-registration was introduced less than two years after National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru dismissed the APC’s purported 45 million members as false.

At the workshop’s opening, Basiru said the 2023 elections exposed inflated membership claims, as the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, received fewer than 10 million votes despite the supposed massive membership.
“If we truly had 45 million members, how did we end up with less than 10 million votes?” he asked, blaming the manipulation of the old register for internal conflicts and corruption.

He said the new digital and biometric-based system, linked to members’ National Identification Numbers, was aimed at restoring credibility to the APC’s internal records.

Former National Chairman Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje also endorsed the reforms, noting that the digital register would guide party planning, decision-making, and candidate verification.
“Members must provide biometric details that match their NIN records,” Ganduje said, adding that the system would support appointments and electoral aspirations.

With the e-registration now in its state-level implementation stage, the APC believes the initiative will reinforce its structure and credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.