The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strictly adhere to its published timetable for the 2027 general elections, insisting that all political parties must be treated equally.

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

Yilwatda’s Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy, Abimbola Tooki, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

“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,” Yilwatda said.

The APC chairman said the party had released and inaugurated its campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded its candidates to the INEC portal ahead of other political parties.

He added that the APC had presented candidates for all elective positions it was contesting, while some opposition parties had reportedly faced difficulties fielding candidates and completing their submissions.

Yilwatda attributed the party’s preparedness to its organisational strength, claiming it had approximately 13 million registered members across all local government areas in the country.

He explained that the APC’s membership identity cards were designed to allow verification through members’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) and voter identification details.

“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,” he said.

He also claimed that the party had more than 261,000 executive members across its structures, from the ward to the national level.

On its electoral strength, Yilwatda said the APC controlled 31 of the 36 states, with 88 senators in the 109-member Senate and 208 members in the 360-seat House of Representatives, alongside a significant presence in state Houses of Assembly.

“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.

The chairman further disclosed that more than 7,000 aspirants contested for various positions during the party’s primaries, noting that it recorded relatively few post-primary court cases despite the scale of the contests.

He added that some aspirants who failed to secure APC tickets subsequently obtained tickets from opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

However, Yilwatda stressed that the party’s organisational dominance was not intended to undermine other political parties.

“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.

He maintained that the APC’s preparations were driven by its organisational capacity, candidate readiness and nationwide structures, rather than an assumption that victory was guaranteed.

Yilwatda also assured the ECOWAS delegation that the ruling party would not use its position to suppress the opposition, insisting that all political parties should enjoy equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms to present their programmes to voters.

Citing protests against the Tinubu administration, including the “Tinubu Must Go” demonstrations, he argued that citizens and opposition groups could express their views without automatically facing arrest or intimidation.

He also referenced the APC’s defeats in the Anambra and Osun governorship elections, saying the party engaged stakeholders following the losses and that the discussions contributed to broader alliances supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Earlier, Foh said the ECOWAS mission was conducting a political assessment to support efforts towards ensuring free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria.

“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 said.

Foh commended Yilwatda for his presentation, noting that it provided the delegation with valuable insights into the APC’s structure, membership, internal processes and preparations for the 2027 elections.