The ruling All Progressives Congress has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to strictly adhere to its published timetable for the 2027 general elections, warning that electoral rules and deadlines must apply equally to all political parties.
The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, made the call on Saturday when he received a pre-election fact-finding mission of the Economic Community of West African States at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Yilwatda, who received the ECOWAS delegation alongside members of the party’s National Working Committee, said the credibility of the 2027 elections would depend largely on the transparency, fairness and predictability of the electoral process.
He cautioned INEC against altering electoral deadlines in ways that could give any political party an undue advantage over others.
“We have inaugurated our campaign council, commenced campaign activities and uploaded our candidates to INEC’s portal. We have also presented candidates for all the positions we are contesting, unlike some opposition parties that have faced difficulties completing their submissions,” he said. 
The APC chairman also highlighted the party’s nationwide structure, claiming that it had about 13 million registered members across the country’s local government areas.
He said the party had more than 261,000 executive members from the ward to the national level, adding that its membership cards were designed to facilitate verification through National Identification Numbers and voter identification details.
Yilwatda said the APC currently controlled 31 states through its governors and had 88 senators and 208 members of the House of Representatives.
Despite the party’s numerical strength, he said the APC would not use its position to undermine opposition parties or restrict their participation in the electoral process.
“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 also called for equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms for all political parties to present their programmes to voters.
“We will not use our position to intimidate or suppress opposition parties. Every political party must have equal access to the media, campaign venues and other legitimate platforms to present its programmes to Nigerians,” Yilwatda said.
