They noted that they have targeted at least 350,000 figures on the last day of the registration.

This was contained in a statement released by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, in Ibadan, the state capital, on Tuesday.

The PUNCH reports that the APC, at the national level, has announced the flag-off of a fresh registration of its members across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The exercise, designed to be carried out electronically, is aimed at getting the names and relevant personal information of existing and new members in a database for the purpose of management, planning and strategy by the party.

Sadare said, “We could not start the registration exercise on the same day with most of the state chapters because there were some challenges which revolved around logistics, supply and a few other things. But we turned things around and we were able to overcome all the challenges. They showcased the same form of energy and passion with which they facilitated the Open Air Stakeholders’ Meetings carried out in all 14 federal constituencies and our Pacesetters status was restored.

“Other things being equal, our great party would be able to boast of over 350, 000 organic members at the end of the exercise on January 30 and the fear would be maximally used to facilitate the realisation of our two core objectives ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“In 2023, we delivered a total of 449,884 votes for President Bola Tinubu and this time, we will raise it by about 40 per cent. Not only that, we will leverage our population strength to mobilise voters and reclaim power in the state in 2027. Meanwhile, we appeal to all residents across the nooks and crannies of the 33 Local Government Councils in the state to take advantage of the registration exercise.

“Every resident who is 18 years of age and above should visit the registration centres with their National Identification Number, Permanent Voter Card and other personal information details to get registered with a view to participating in all party activities as doing so would indicate their readiness to key into the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu which is already working wonders for the country,” the statement added.

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Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf on Monday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid heightened speculation over his planned defection to the All Progressives Congress.

The governor, dressed in his signature flowing white northern babanriga and a red Kwankwasiyya cap, was spotted by our correspondent making his way to the President’s office at 4:13pm local time.

He departed the Villa about three hours later but declined to speak to journalists.

However, our correspondent learnt that the governor is due to return later in the week to provide the President with feedback on the issues discussed at the meeting.

The visit comes amid Yusuf’s planned defection from the New Nigeria People’s Party to the ruling APC, a move that has been postponed multiple times since early January.

The governor’s audience with the President is his first known meeting with Tinubu since the latter returned from Abu Dhabi, where he attended the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Sources familiar with the negotiations had earlier told The PUNCH that the defection stalled because the APC leadership refused to grant Yusuf’s demand for a documented assurance of an automatic gubernatorial ticket for the 2027 elections.

The governor is also reportedly seeking the right to nominate a minister to represent Kano State in the Federal Executive Council and the authority to replace Kano-based federal appointees with his loyalists.

According to reports, Yusuf’s demands have placed him on a collision course with powerful figures within the party, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who is believed to be harbouring governorship ambitions for 2027.

Videos posted on his official Facebook account days earlier showed the governor presiding over the first State Executive Council meeting of 2026 at the Kano State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, on Friday.

Yusuf’s political godfather, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has publicly described the planned defection as an act of betrayal and warned that the governor would face consequences in 2027 if he proceeds with the move.

The NNPP national leader’s son, Hon. Mustapha Kwankwaso, and other cabinet members loyal to Kwankwaso have reportedly vowed to resign immediately if the governor officially joins the APC.

A lawmaker and APC chieftain in Kano, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, claimed in a viral video that President Tinubu had directed that the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise be suspended in Kano until Governor Yusuf formally joins the party.

According to Doguwa, the President wants the governor to be the first to e-register in the state.

In a birthday statement on January 5 to mark Yusuf’s 63rd birthday, Tinubu lavished praise on the Kano governor, highlighting his infrastructural achievements and commitment to grassroots development.

“Governor Yusuf’s leadership experience, particularly his years as commissioner managing strategic portfolios in Kano State, may have prepared him for the kind of infrastructural changes now witnessed in the state,” the President said.

“He has embarked on urban renewal programmes, building bridges and road networks, including five-kilometre roads in each local government in the state,” he added.

Tinubu also noted improvements in Kano’s education sector, stating, “I also understood that his declaration of emergency in education has engendered a marked improvement in the performance of Kano students in NECO exams.”

The President described Kano as “the bastion of progressive politics in the North,” adding that Yusuf’s regime “re-echoes the commitment to grassroots development and ameliorating the plight of the Talakawas as championed by the late Mallam Aminu Kano.“

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Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has warned that no individual or group can distract his administration with 2027 elections, saying he is focused on delivering development for the state.

Otti made the statement on Saturday at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Umuikaa District headquarters, Isialangwa South LGA, while attending worship with his wife, Priscilla Chidinma.

“I am not bothered about 2027. The same God who settled 2023 will also settle 2027,” he said.

He vowed that his government will continue to do the right thing, not minding the attacks by the opposition.

“No one, or group of people, whoever they are, is entitled to distract us.

So, when they make noise, like I said last week, we should not be bothered. We should just remain focused and do what we have to do,” Otti said.

Otti and three former governors of the state, Orji Kalu, Theodore Orji, and Okezie Ikpeazu, have in recent times been in a war of words, with Kalu vowing to stop Otti’s re-election in 2027.

Otti, addressing concerns about political attacks, said, “Sometimes, I worry if it is the 2027 election they are talking about, or maybe there’s another election coming up. But the same way God delivered me in 2023, that is the way He will deliver me in 2027.”

Last week, the state government, through the governor’s Special Adviser on Policies and Interventions, Rev. Fr. Christian Anokwuru, warned opposition figures against attempting to pit Otti against President Bola Tinubu.

Anokwuru said:” When former governors and past political office holders, whose records are still fresh in the collective memory of Abians, congregate to challenge the leadership of Dr Alex Otti, the public is entitled to interrogate not just their claims, but also their credibility. Everything about your supposed criticism against Dr Alex Otti’s administration is resting on ‘Renewed Hope.’ It is expected that an opposition made up of former governors should build arguments based on their own achievements, not by name-dropping President Bola Tinubu.”

On development projects, Otti apologised to residents for dust caused by ongoing road works:

“As you can see, we are at the final stages of dualising this road. It is a Federal road, but we got approval from the Federal government to reconstruct and dualise it. And as we are doing this, we are also working from Onuimo to Tower. The idea is that any time you get into Abia State, you know you’ve gotten into Abia State.”

Church leaders and members of the Alex Otti Vanguard Movement for Continuity 2027 also expressed support. Dr. Fineboy Ikechi Joseph, Elder G.C. Ukaegbu, and Elder E.C. Alozie praised the governor, stating:

“Governor Otti’s achievements across the state are enough to guarantee him a second term in office. His benevolence and leadership have brought hope to Abia people.”

In his sermon on “Living With Eternal Perspective”, Masterguide Chidera Mark cited Isaiah 40:28-31, reminding the congregation that God does not change or faint. He said:

“Before Governor Otti came, there were issues to worry about in Abia State, but his emergence brought hope. His re-election would sustain the hope and good works being witnessed today.”

The church service concluded with prayers for Governor Otti and the state government.

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