The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against altering its electoral timetable or extending deadlines to accommodate political parties struggling to meet requirements for the 2027 general elections, insisting that the rules must apply equally to all contestants.

The National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, issued the warning while receiving a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), led by former Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh, at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

Yilwatda maintained that the credibility of the elections would depend on INEC’s ability to enforce its guidelines consistently, without adjusting deadlines in ways that could confer undue advantages on any political party.

“We believe INEC should stick to its timetable. The rules must apply equally to every political party. The electoral process must be fair, transparent and predictable, without adjusting deadlines in a manner that gives any party an undue advantage,” he stated.

The chairman said the APC had completed its candidate nomination processes, submitted the names of its candidates through INEC’s portal, inaugurated its campaign council and commenced preparations for the elections.

He contrasted the party’s readiness with what he described as difficulties confronting some opposition parties in fielding candidates and completing their nomination processes, arguing that electoral rules should not be adjusted to accommodate parties that failed to meet established requirements.

Yilwatda disclosed that more than 7,000 aspirants participated in the APC’s primaries for various elective positions, describing the exercise as evidence of the level of competition within the ruling party.

He said the party had recorded relatively few post-primary litigations despite the large number of aspirants, attributing the development to its internal mechanisms for resolving disagreements.

According to him, some politicians who failed to secure APC tickets subsequently emerged as candidates of opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

He maintained that the APC’s organisational strength was reflected in its extensive membership database, grassroots structures, elected representatives and nationwide support groups.

“Our party is the largest political party in Nigeria. In terms of structure, organisation and membership, no other political party comes close to us. We are approximately three times larger than the next political party in the country.”

Yilwatda put the party’s registered membership at approximately 13 million, with more than 261,000 executive members across its ward, local government, state and national structures.

He also claimed that the APC controlled 31 of the country’s 36 governorships, 88 of the 109 Senate seats and 208 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives, alongside substantial representation in state legislatures.

The chairman explained that the party’s membership identification system incorporated National Identification Numbers and voter identification details to facilitate verification, grassroots mobilisation and internal coordination.

“These structures are the foundation of our strength. We have built an organisation that reaches every part of the country and gives us the capacity to engage Nigerians across different demographics,” he said.

Despite the party’s numerical strength and control of elective offices, Yilwatda assured the ECOWAS delegation that the APC would not use its position to intimidate opposition 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 maintained that all political parties should enjoy equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms for political engagement.

Yilwatda cited public demonstrations against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, including the “Tinubu Must Go” protests, as evidence of what he described as the government’s tolerance of political dissent.

He said the APC recognised the importance of democratic competition, having suffered electoral defeats in states such as Anambra and Osun, and subsequently engaged political stakeholders in efforts to build alliances.

According to him, some of those engagements had contributed to political cooperation in support of President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Leader of the ECOWAS delegation, Victor Bockarie Foh, said the mission was conducting a fact-finding assessment of Nigeria’s political environment ahead of the elections, with particular emphasis on transparency, credibility and adherence to democratic standards.

Foh explained that the mission’s conclusions would be based on systematic observation, verification and reliable information gathered from political stakeholders rather than unsubstantiated claims.

“Our monitoring is scientific, and our decisions on issues are based on scientific observation. We verify information before making any pronouncement, and we use a robust application system to collect data. Our reports are therefore not arbitrary.”

He commended Yilwatda for providing information on the APC’s membership, organisational structure, internal electoral processes and preparations for the elections, saying the engagement would assist the mission in assessing the political environment ahead of 2027.