The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor 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 registered or risk being removed from their positions.
Professor Yilwatda gave the directive during a meeting with State Registration Coordinators at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
He stressed that the role of coordinators, largely occupied by State Organising Secretaries except where untrained, is critical to strengthening the party’s structure ahead of future elections.
The electronic membership registration exercise, which is taking place across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, is scheduled to end on January 30, 2026.
Read Also: Fubara Not Politically Safe After Joining Rivers APC: Tonye Cole
“The position of Coordinator is not ceremonial. If any Coordinator does not get all members registered in his or her state, we will drop you and appoint another person,” Yilwatda warned.
He reminded the coordinators that strong party structures at the grassroots level are the foundation of electoral victory, noting that elections are won at the ward, local government, constituency and state levels, not at the national secretariat.
Professor Yilwatda also charged State Party Chairmen to cooperate fully with coordinators to ensure a smooth and successful registration process, cautioning against discrepancies where the party claims large membership figures but records low votes during elections.
He further disclosed that any State Executive Committee member who fails to register before the January 30 deadline will be removed from office, emphasizing that the National Executive Committee (NEC) has the constitutional authority to enforce compliance.
“No Chairman, no Coordinator, and not even a Governor has the power to stop any party member from being registered. No one must be disenfranchised,” he said, condemning any sharp practices aimed at excluding members.
To address logistical challenges, the APC chairman directed coordinators to use Android phones where tablets are unavailable, urging states not to delay the exercise over lack of devices.
He also advised against making the exercise unnecessarily expensive for state governments, revealing that officials in his home state were recruited from within wards to ease logistics.
Providing an update on progress, Yilwatda said Delta State is currently leading the exercise, followed by Lagos, Kebbi, Adamawa and Plateau States, and announced that progress would be reviewed again within five days.
“This registration must succeed. We cannot make decisions on faulty premises,” he declared, adding that the electronic system, the first of its kind by any political party in Nigeria, will provide a verifiable, real-time membership database, enhance internal democracy and eliminate fraud.
Responding on behalf of the coordinators, participants commended Professor Yilwatda’s leadership and pledged full commitment to completing the exercise before the deadline.
