The All Progressives Congress on Thursday raised concern over the poor turnout recorded in its ongoing e-membership registration exercise, urging state chairmen to take ownership of the process and ensure full participation across all senatorial districts.
Speaking at the APC e-Membership Registration Train-the-Trainers Workshop for state and FCT party chairmen 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 lamented.
According to him, while Delta State currently leads the pack with 296,508 registered members, states like Edo and Cross River have recorded just nine members each, Nasarawa and the FCT five, Ogun 292, Osun eight, Imo three, Enugu none, and Oyo 93.
“In particular, ensure only members who possess INEC voter cards should be registered. What this means is that they can vote and be voted for,” Argungu added.
He explained that the workshop was designed to provide state party leaders with a comprehensive understanding of the digital registration system aimed at cleaning up the party’s membership data.
“Through this initiative, we will build a credible and verifiable digital database of APC members nationwide, improve transparency, and strengthen our mobilisation base ahead of the 2027 general elections,” he said.
Argungu noted that over five million members had so far been validated in the ongoing process, which, he said, reflects the party’s renewed commitment to organisational integrity under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.
“In the past, we have had to work with wrong figures that didn’t tally with the party membership register,” he said. “This reform reflects our collective commitment to modernisation, inclusivity, and organisational excellence.”
PUNCH Online reports that the e-membership registration initiative was introduced barely two years after the party’s National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, dismissed the APC’s previously claimed 45 million membership as a fabrication.
At the opening session of the digital registration workshop in Abuja, Basiru had revealed that the 2023 general elections exposed the false figures, as the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, secured fewer than 10 million votes despite the supposed massive membership.
“If we have that membership of 45 million, how come we went to the poll and got votes of less than 10 million?” Basiru queried.
“We made a mistake because the register of the party was a tool for fighting causes we don’t know. The weaponisation of the party register led to corruption.”
He said the new digital and biometric-based system—linked with members’ National Identification Numbers —was designed to restore credibility and integrity to the APC’s internal database.
The then-APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, also backed the reform, stressing that the new digital register would form the basis for decision-making, party planning, and candidate verification in future elections.
“Each person is expected to provide his or her biometric data, which must tally with the details captured in the National Identity Number,” Ganduje explained.
“This process will not only drive planning and projection but also serve as a reference for any member seeking appointment or contesting elections.”
The e-registration drive, which has now entered its state-level implementation phase, is expected to strengthen the ruling party’s structure and credibility ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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