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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distanced itself from widely circulated claims regarding the membership strength of political parties, including the alleged 12.9 million registered members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, insisting that the figures did not originate from the commission.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Dayo Oketola, issued the clarification on Tuesday after the statistics gained traction online following comments made by APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, during an interview on ARISE News.
In a message circulated to journalists, Oketola stated: “Please note that this is certainly not from INEC,” firmly denying any connection between the commission and the figures being shared publicly.
During the television interview, Yilwatda claimed that the APC had submitted 12.9 million registered members to INEC, while the Peoples Democratic Party allegedly had 2.4 million members, the African Democratic Congress 1.6 million, and the Labour Party 1.3 million.
He maintained that the APC remains Nigeria’s most dominant political platform, arguing that its membership strength outweighs the combined figures of opposition parties.
Yilwatda further disclosed that the APC’s membership records were reportedly verified through the National Identity Management Commission, adding that the party synchronised its database with the national identity system.
The APC chairman also claimed that about 10.9 million party members participated in the party’s presidential primary that produced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as candidate, noting that only a small percentage of members did not take part in the exercise.
However, INEC’s swift rebuttal has raised fresh questions over the credibility and verification of political party membership data, especially as the figures continue to circulate widely on social media with many users attributing them to the electoral body.
The development has further highlighted concerns surrounding transparency and public interpretation of party membership statistics as political activities gradually intensify ahead of future elections in Nigeria.
