The governing All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that a surge in party registration and what it described as the governing administration’s economic stabilisation efforts have positioned the party for a decisive victory in next year’s elections.
Ima Niboro, spokesman for the APC’s 2027 presidential campaign council, told a national television recently that the party’s membership roll of 12.8 million registered supporters gives it a “formidable electoral base” ahead of the Jan. 16, 2027, presidential ballot.
Niboro, a former presidential Media Adviser media contrasted that total with figures he attributed to rival parties: 2.4 million for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 1.6 million for the African Democratic Congress (ADC), 1.3 million for the Labour Party, and 700,000 for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
“The APC has 12.8 million registered members, while the opposition parties are far behind,” Niboro said.
He added that critics would accuse the party of rigging results if it prevailed, but argued the membership advantage reflected organisational reach and nationwide strength.
Beyond membership, Niboro defended President Bola Tinubu’s three-year record, saying the administration had stabilised an economy he said it inherited in “tatters” and had delivered growth across sectors.
“The achievements of the President in the last three years are quite outstanding,” he said.
Niboro also defended the administration’s controversial removal of the petrol subsidy, calling the policy painful but fiscally unavoidable.
He said the previous subsidy regime had been unsustainable and had fuelled smuggling that benefited neighbouring countries more than Nigerians.
“All three major presidential candidates in the 2023 election agreed that fuel subsidy removal was inevitable,” he said, adding that debate remained over how best to manage the policy’s social and economic consequences.
Looking beyond fuel prices, Niboro said the government should prioritise affordable mobility by expanding cheaper transport alternatives.
“What Nigerians need is cheap transportation, not necessarily cheap petrol,” he said.
The APC’s claims about membership numbers could not be independently verified.
NewsQuest reports that opposition parties and election monitors have in the past raised questions about party registers and the methods used to compile them.
