The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has defended the party’s reported 10.99 million votes in its recently concluded presidential primaries, insisting that the figures are backed by verified membership data linked to the National Identity Number (NIN).
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Monday, Yilwatda stated that the APC currently has about 12.9 million registered members, according to records submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He explained that out of this number, roughly 10.9 million members participated in the voting process, while about 2 million did not vote, describing the turnout as reasonable.
“There is nothing unusual here. About 12.9 million members are on our register, and around 10.9 million voted. That means about 2 million did not participate across the country,” he said.
Addressing claims circulating online that some videos showed inflated vote counts, he dismissed them as misleading and not credible, arguing that the official data tells a different story.
He further noted that total votes recorded in some states were relatively small, questioning the authenticity of viral clips suggesting higher numbers, and maintained that the party relies strictly on verified data.
Yilwatda also claimed that the APC has the largest membership base in Nigeria, comparing figures with other political parties, which he said have significantly lower registered members.
According to him, the APC’s membership database is fully verified and integrated with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), making it more reliable than that of other parties.
He added that the party’s registration process is similar to official identity systems such as banking or passport enrollment, emphasizing that no unverified individual can be part of the APC register.
