The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, says the ruling party will not suppress protests against President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, insisting that dissenting views are essential to democracy.
Yilwatda said Nigerians and opposition groups must be allowed to express their political opinions without facing automatic arrest or intimidation.
The APC chairman made the remarks at the weekend while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Sierra Leone Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh.
He said the APC’s position was informed by its understanding of democratic competition and the need to protect political space for opposing views ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“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,” Yilwatda said.
APC cites experience of electoral defeats
The APC national chairman said his party understood the realities of political competition, having experienced electoral defeats in the past.
He cited the party’s losses in the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, explaining that it subsequently engaged political stakeholders and pursued cooperation where common interests existed.
According to him, such engagements contributed to broader political alliances and cooperation in support of Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Yilwatda also highlighted the APC’s organisational structure and nationwide membership as major strengths ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Our party is the largest political party in Nigeria. 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.
APC claims 13 million registered members
The APC chairman disclosed that the party had approximately 13 million registered members across Nigeria’s local government areas.
He said the party maintained detailed membership records and identity cards designed to facilitate verification through members’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter identification details.
Yilwatda added that the party had more than 261,000 executive members across its organisational structures, from ward and local government levels to the state and national levels.
He described the network as an important foundation for grassroots mobilisation, internal coordination and electoral planning.
ECOWAS mission explains election assessment
Earlier, Foh said the ECOWAS delegation was in Nigeria to assess the political environment ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He explained that the mission would rely on systematic observation, verification and credible data collection rather than assumptions or arbitrary conclusions.
“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,” Foh said.
He added that the delegation was engaging relevant political stakeholders to obtain information that would assist its assessment of Nigeria’s electoral environment.
Foh commended Yilwatda for providing information about the APC’s membership, organisational structure, internal processes and preparations for the forthcoming elections.
