The All Progressives Congress has resumed its registration exercise amid growing political activity, as the Tanimu Turaki (SAN)-led National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, backed by Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, claims to have recorded about 4.2 million registered members.

APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, in a statement on Wednesday, announced the resumption of the electronic membership registration exercise of the ruling party in all wards and designated locations nationwide.

Morka stated, “The All Progressives Congress announces the resumption of its electronic membership registration exercise.

“As the electronic membership registration exercise resumes in all wards and designated locations nationwide, we urge existing members to validate their membership, while new members are encouraged to register and join the progressive family.

“Registrants must be 18 years or older and must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN).

“The e-registration exercise is designed to digitise the party’s membership register, ensure the integrity of records, enhance efficient access to membership data for planning and management decisions, promote internal democracy, and strengthen the party’s commitment to democratic innovation in Nigeria.”

Meanwhile, the Turaki faction’s spokesman, Ini Ememobong, speaking to journalists on Wednesday, revealed that data on the party’s portal shows that its ward registration agents had recorded a total of 4,264,675 members as of midnight on March 31, 2026.

He stated, “Despite the inconvenience of the very tight timeframe previously announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we created the digital platform, mobilised human resources (most of whom offered as volunteers), and went into the nooks and crannies of our rural and urban areas where our members reside.

“The process, which was scheduled to last for three weeks, was, by every inch, herculean, but as it is said, nothing beats the prepared mind.

“Data on our portal indicates that our ward registration agents, as of midnight of March 31, 2026, recorded a total of 4,264,675 members.

“While our members are clearly more than this number, it is needful to commend those who have kept faith despite the current challenges we have faced in the recent past.

“This, for us, is a constant reminder of the responsibility that we carry to ensure that the political future of these millions of Nigerians is not put in jeopardy, nor their decision made to be subservient to another party, especially the All Progressives Congress.

“If they wanted to join the ruling party, they would have easily registered with them, with the numerous enticements that are usually concomitant with registering there.”

Ememobong said millions of Nigerians had chosen the difficult but right path to freedom over the easier path that leads to ruin.

He added, “This digital membership registration has shown clearly that the politicians are defecting, not the electorate.

“Looking beyond the total, there is a need to disaggregate this data to see what it says about critical demographics and other profound contexts.

“The average registration at the polling unit level is 24 members, while we have 484 as the average number of members in each of the 8,809 wards across the 774 local government areas of Nigeria.

“Furthermore, male members stood at 2,336,069, outnumbering the females by a little above 9% (1,928,606).

“In terms of age, young people aged 18–40 constitute 40.3 per cent of the entire registration, while people aged 41–60 years are 30.7 per cent, and those from 61 years and above are 28.9 per cent.

“This is clearly indicative of the acceptance of the party at all age levels, with young people outnumbering other age groups.”

He added that from a geographic perspective, the South West is leading with 953,954 members, followed closely by the South South with 917,652 members, trailed by the North Central with 757,502 members.

According to him, the North West has 754,935 members, the North East has 646,305, and the South East has 234,327 members.

The document made available to journalists showed Kaduna recorded the highest registrations with 408,915 members, followed by Edo (378,033) and Oyo (368,204), while Ogun and Kano posted 316,311 and 275,786, respectively.

The Makinde-backed PDP is awaiting the judgment of the Supreme Court on the crisis in the party, as both the high court and the appellate court voided the November 15 and 16 convention of the party held in Ibadan, Oyo State, which produced the Turaki-led NWC.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike-backed PDP, however, conducted its convention on Sunday, March 29, 2026, which produced Abdulrahman Mohammed and Samuel Anyanwu as national chairman and national secretary, respectively.

After consultations with political parties, INEC extended the deadline for submitting electronic membership registers for the 2027 general elections to May 10, 2026.

This is a shift from the earlier deadline of April 21, 2026, and is aimed at complying with the 21-day statutory requirement outlined in Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026. (The PUNCH)

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