The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to strictly follow its published timetable for the 2027 general elections, saying the rules must apply equally to all political parties.
The party’s National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, made the call when he received a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
Yilwatda, who received the delegation alongside members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, said the electoral process must remain fair, transparent and predictable.
He cautioned against any adjustment of electoral deadlines that could give one political party an advantage over others.
He urged INEC to adhere to its published timetable, stressing that all political parties should be treated equally and that electoral deadlines should not be altered in ways that could favour any party.
“We have inaugurated our campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded our candidates to INEC’s portal. We have also presented candidates for all the positions we are contesting, unlike some opposition parties that have faced difficulties completing their submissions,” he said.
Yilwatda also highlighted the party’s membership and political structures, claiming that it had about 13 million registered members across the country’s local government areas.
He said the party had more than 261,000 executive members from the ward to the national level, adding that its membership cards were designed to allow verification through National Identification Numbers, NIN, and voter identification details.
On its elected representatives, he said the APC had 31 governors, 88 senators and 208 members of the House of Representatives.
The chairman, however, said the party’s size and political strength should not be used to undermine other parties or restrict their participation in the electoral process.
“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,” he said.
“We will not use our position to intimidate or suppress opposition parties. Every political party must have equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms to present its programmes to Nigerians,” he said.