Register Every Member or Be Removed, Yilwatda Reads Riot Act to All Coordinators

• Registration already hits two million, says party scribe

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has directed all coordinators of the ongoing nationwide electronic membership registration exercise across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to ensure that no member of the party was left unregistered.

Yilwatda, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, warned that any coordinator who failed in this responsibility would be replaced.

The chairman gave the directive when he met with State Registration Coordinators at the national secretariat of APC in Abuja.

All State Organising Secretaries of APC were appointed coordinators of the exercise, except where the officer was not trained for the exercise.

The ongoing registration exercise had been scheduled to end on January 30.

Yilwatda stated, “The position of Coordinator is not ceremonial but a responsibility to strengthen the party. If any Coordinator does not get all members registered in his or her state, we will drop you and appoint another person. The position you occupy is an opportunity to make the party better.”

He reminded the coordinators that they were the foot soldiers of the party, stressing that when party structures at the state level are strong and functional, the party itself becomes strong.

The chairman also urged the state party chairmen to cooperate fully with the coordinators to ensure a seamless and successful exercise.

He stated, “Nobody contests elections at the national secretariat. Elections are won or lost at the state, senatorial, constituency, local government, and ward levels. The performance of the party rests squarely on you.”

The chairman warned against a situation where the party claimed millions of members in a state but recorded very low votes during elections, describing such discrepancies as unacceptable going forward.

Yilwatda stated that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had created an environment conducive to ensure the success of all party programmes. He insisted that party structures at all levels must begin to reflect real membership strength.

He further warned that any State Executive Committee member who failed to register before January 30, would be removed from office, stressing that NEC, the second highest organ of the party after the convention, has the constitutional authority to enforce compliance.

“It is not negotiable. This warning must be sounded from the state level down to the ward level,” he said.

Yilwatda condemned sharp practices aimed at blocking or excluding party members from the registration process.

He warned, “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.”

To ensure speed and efficiency, the national chairman directed coordinators to use Android phones where tablets were unavailable, stressing that no state should delay the exercise waiting for devices.

National Secretary of APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, revealed that the ruling party had recorded over two million registered members nationwide barely one week after the commencement of the exercise. Basiru made this known yesterday in Abuja after a meeting between the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party and state coordinators of the membership registration exercise, presided by Yilwatda.

Basiru recalled that NEC had directed that all APC members across the country must be digitally registered before the end of January 2026.

He added that the exercise was critical to strengthening the party’s internal organisation and operational efficiency.

Basiru stated that NWC had been empowered to closely monitor the exercise across the states and to effect changes in states where coordinators were found to be underperforming.

He said, “The national chairman charged all state coordinators on the need to carry out this exercise correctly and within the stipulated timeline. Data is central to effective management, and this is even more important for a political party that relies on mobilisation, organisation and consultation.

“With increased momentum across the states, we are optimistic that by the next assessment, expected next week, the party’s digital membership strength could rise to between eight and nine million.”

The APC national leadership commended governors, state chairmen and other stakeholders for their commitment and resources deployed so far for the exercise. It assured that identified challenges were being addressed through continuous engagement with relevant stakeholders.