National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has expressed confidence that the ruling party will secure more than 10 million votes in the 2027 presidential election, citing the party’s expanding membership base and the impact of government intervention programmes.

Yilwatda stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday while reacting to the outcome of the APC presidential primary, where President Bola Tinubu emerged as the party’s candidate for the 2027 election, securing 10.9 million votes.

Responding to questions on whether the APC could replicate its primary election figures in the general election, Yilwatda said the party’s support base had grown beyond its registered membership.

“More than that, these are our members,” he said.

According to him, millions of Nigerians benefiting from Federal Government programmes could translate into electoral support for the APC in 2027.

“In my own thinking, most students are members of our party. We have about 1.5 million students who are beneficiaries of the student loan scheme. Their school fees are paid completely, and many of them have parents, brothers, and family members,” he said.

The party chairman added that beneficiaries of the national health insurance scheme and workers engaged in major infrastructure projects across the country were also likely to support the ruling party.

“We have added about four million Nigerians to the health insurance scheme, especially retired, elderly, and vulnerable citizens. Do you think they will vote for another party aside from ours?” he asked.

Yilwatda also referenced ongoing projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Badagry road project, and railway construction linking Kano, saying thousands of Nigerians were directly or indirectly benefiting from the initiatives.

The APC chairman maintained that the party remained Nigeria’s most organised political platform, claiming it currently has about 12.7 million registered members nationwide and an effective internal conflict resolution mechanism.

He also dismissed allegations that the APC was responsible for crises within opposition parties and insisted that President Tinubu was not imposing candidates on the party.

His comments come as political activities begin to gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general election.

In the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu polled over eight million votes, while Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi secured more than six million votes each.

The 2027 presidential election is officially scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission. (Channels TV)

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