“2023 Elections Expose APC’s Fake Membership Figure,” Says National Secretary

In a revealing statement, Senator Ajibola Basiru, the National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declared that the 2023 general elections uncovered exaggerated membership numbers within the party.

During the inauguration of a train-the-trainer workshop on e-registration for APC members in Abuja, Senator Basiru highlighted the discrepancy between the claimed membership figures and the actual voter turnout.

The APC’s National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, led by Governor Mai Mala Buni, conducted a membership registration and revalidation exercise in 2021, announcing over 40 million registered party members.

However, Senator Basiru pointed out that despite the party’s claim of having 45 million members, the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is now the President, garnered fewer than 10 million votes in the 2023 elections.

“If we have that membership of 45 million, how come we went to the poll and got votes of less than 10 million? In line with Amilcar Cabral’s doctrine of ‘tell no lies, claim no easy victories’, that has exhumed the lie,” Basiru stated.

He emphasized that the revelation is not meant to ridicule anyone but to reflect on past mistakes. He likened the situation to an elder looking back to understand where an error was made, attributing the inflated figures to the misuse of the party’s register as a tool for unknown causes, which ultimately led to corruption.

In response to these issues, the National Working Committee (NWC) has decided to implement a digitalized and biometric-based registration system linked to the National Identification Number (NIN) of all members. Basiru stressed the importance of this exercise to ensure the integrity of the party’s register.

APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, further clarified that only those on the new e-register would be eligible for elections or appointments following the exercise.

“This process will not only drive the planning, decision-making and projection process but will serve as a basis of reference for any member of our party seeking appointment at any level or desiring to contest an election,” Ganduje added.