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Register every member or be removed, APC Chairman warns State Coordinators
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has directed all Coordinators of the ongoing nationwide electronic membership registration exercise across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory to ensure that no member of the party is left unregistered, warning that any Coordinator who fails in this responsibility will be replaced.
Professor Yilwatda gave this directive when he met with all the State Registration Coordinators at the National Secretariat of the APC in Abuja.
A statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Special Adviser to the National Chairman (Media & Communications), Abimbola Tooki, quoted Prof Yilwatda as saying that “If any coordinator does not get all members registered in his or her state, we will drop you and appoint another person.”
All the State Organising Secretaries of the party at the state level are the coordinators of the exercise except where any of them was not trained for the exercise.
The ongoing registration exercise is scheduled to end on January 30, 2026.
For a mass-membership political party like the All Progressives Congress (APC), electronic registration is not just a technical upgrade, it is a strategic political reform. Its benefits cut across credibility, mobilisation, discipline and electoral strength.
According to the APC Chairman, the position of Coordinator is not ceremonial but a responsibility to strengthen the party.
“If any Coordinator does not get all members registered in his or her state, we will drop you and appoint another person. The position you occupy is an opportunity to make the party better,” he said.
Professor Yilwatda reminded the Coordinators that they are the foot soldiers of the party, stressing that when party structures at the state level are strong and functional, the party itself becomes strong.
He also charged State Party Chairmen to cooperate fully with the Coordinators to ensure a seamless and successful exercise.
“Nobody contests elections at the National Secretariat. Elections are won or lost at the state, senatorial, constituency, local government and ward levels. The performance of the party rests squarely on you,” he stated.
The Chairman warned against a situation where the party claims millions of members in a state but records very low votes during elections, describing such discrepancies as unacceptable going forward.
He disclosed that the National Executive Committee (NEC) has created a conducive environment to ensure the success of all party programmes and insisted that party structures at all levels must begin to reflect real membership strength.
He further warned that any State Executive Committee member who fails to register before January 30, 2026, will be removed from office, stressing that NEC, the second highest organ of the party after the Convention, has the constitutional authority to enforce compliance.
He implored all the State Chairmen to support the drive of this registration exercise. It is not negotiable. This warning must be sounded from the state level down to the ward level,” he said.
Professor Yilwatda also condemned sharp practices aimed at blocking or excluding party members from the registration process.
“No Chairman, no Coordinator, and not even a Governor has the power to stop any party member from being registered. No one must be disenfranchised,” he warned.
To ensure speed and efficiency, the Chairman directed Coordinators to use Android phones where tablets are unavailable, stressing that no state should delay the exercise waiting for devices.
He urged Coordinators to avoid making the exercise unnecessarily expensive for state governments and disclosed that in his own state, registration officials were recruited from within their wards to ease logistics.
Giving an update on progress, Professor Yilwatda revealed that Delta State is currently leading, followed by Lagos, Kebbi, Adamawa and Plateau States, and encouraged other states to emulate their pace and commitment.
He announced that he would review the progress of the progress in five days.
The APC Chairman also linked the electronic registration to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s ongoing reforms, stressing that the party must reflect the same spirit of modernization and accountability.
“We need accurate data to support the President. We must be different from all other parties. We cannot make decisions on faulty premises. This registration must succeed,” he declared.
He explained that the electronic registration, the first of its kind by any political party in Nigeria, will give APC a credible, verifiable and real-time membership database, enhance internal democracy, improve campaign planning, eliminate fraud, and ensure that party resources are deployed based on real and reliable data.
In their response, the Coordinators commended Professor Yilwatda for his leadership and the progress recorded under his tenure, pledging their full commitment to the success of the exercise.
They assured him that within the next two weeks, party structures at all levels would be revitalised and that they would deliver fully before the deadline.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that there are two main reasons a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji, is being detained by the commission.
It also revealed that legal action was taken against the Enugu-born politician after he failed to honour several invitations extended to him through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, and dated 15 May 2026.
John Odey, the spokesman of the commission in a statement on Wednesday explained that the commission later approached Federal High Court, Abuja Division, with the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026) in order to effect Nnaji’s arrest after his failure to honour invitation.
Nnaji was arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, when he boarded a private jet to Abuja.
Corroborating the development, the ICPC spokesman said Nnaji’s arrest was effected at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon his arrival where he was led to the commission’s custody immediately.
According to him, Nnaji is being probed on forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
The statement read, “The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has arrested the immediate past Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Geoffrey Uchechukwu Nnaji (M), following the execution of a bench warrant issued by the Federal High Court of Nigeria.
“The arrest was effected on Wednesday, 1st July 2026 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon Mr. Nnaji’s arrival.
“He was apprehended with the assistance of the Department of State Services (DSS) and subsequently handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.
“The Commission had earlier extended formal invitations to the former minister through a letter referenced ICPC/HC/CSTF/GUN/GBT/T.1/VOLV16, dated 15 May 2026.
“The invitation notices were duly served to his known addresses in Abuja and Enugu, as well as via his electronic mail address.
“Despite service through multiple channels, Mr. Nnaji failed to appear for investigative interviews on the scheduled dates, necessitating further legal action.
“The legal action followed a court order granted by the Federal High Court in the Abuja Judicial Division (Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1160/2026).
“The order, issued on 11 June 2026, directed the ICPC to arrest the former minister to enable investigation into allegations bordering on:
“Forgery of academic credentials, specifically concerning a degree certificate from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); and “False National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Discharge Certificate, which was submitted during his ministerial screening process in 2023.
“Following the arrest, Mr. Nnaji has been taken into custody at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, where investigations are expected to continue. The Commission assures the public that the matter will be pursued diligently in accordance with the law.”
The immediate past Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was arrested on Wednesday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Enugu via a chartered flight.
Authoritative sources at the airport confirmed the arrest to PREMIUM TIMES, saying Mr Nnaji would be handed over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for interrogation.
The reported arrest comes weeks after the Federal High Court reportedly granted the ICPC permission to arrest and investigate Nnaji over the allegations.
The court also authorised the anti-graft agency to declare him wanted through newspapers, social media platforms and other media channels after the commission alleged that he repeatedly failed to honour invitations for questioning.
According to the ICPC, its application to the court followed Nnaji’s alleged refusal to appear before investigators despite several invitations relating to the forgery allegations.
The case stems from a two-year investigation published by Premium Times in October last year, which alleged that Nnaji submitted forged University of Nigeria degree and National Youth Service Corps certificates during his ministerial screening and confirmation process in 2023.
The report alleged that the documents were presented to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Nigerian Senate, the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the State Security Service.
According to the publication, Nnaji later acknowledged that the University of Nigeria did not issue him the degree certificate in question, a development the newspaper said corroborated its investigation.Newspapers
The former minister had previously denied the existence of the court order authorising his arrest, dismissing the publication as a “media trial.”
However, on June 18, he reportedly filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn the arrest order.
As of the time of filing this report, the ICPC had not issued an official statement confirming the reported arrest, while Nnaji’s legal team had yet to publicly respond to the latest development.
The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Tuesday, restored the bail it had earlier granted to activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore.
Sowore is facing a two-count cybercrime charge filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS) for calling President Bola Tinubu a “criminal” in a social media post.
Trial Justice Muhammed Umar, who had earlier granted the defendant bail on self-recognisance, on June 16 revoked the bail and issued a warrant for his arrest.
The order came after Sowore failed to appear before the court for the continuation of his trial, even though he wrote a letter explaining his absence and requesting a new date.
When proceedings resumed in the case on June 22, Justice Umar ordered the remand of the defendant in Kuje prison.
Dissatisfied with the actions the court took against him, Sowore—whose legal team had initially withdrawn from the case over alleged bias by the judge—secured a new lawyer, who promptly filed a motion to restore his bail and quash the arrest warrant.
When the case came up on Tuesday, Justice Umar held that he was minded to admit the defendant to bail.
However, the court listed some conditions that had to be met before he would be released from prison custody.
Aside from granting him bail to the tune of N200 million, the court held that the defendant must produce two sureties in like sum.
The court also ordered the defendant to surrender his international passport.
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Sowore, in the application he anchored on Sections 35(4), 36(1), and 66 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Sections 169 and 352 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, insisted that the orders the court made against him were unjust and unwarranted.
The defendant had, on December 2, 2025, pleaded not guilty to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/484/2025, filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The charges allege offences under Sections 24(1)(b) and 24(2)(a), (b), and (c) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act, 2024.
The offending posts, made on August 25, 2025, were in response to President Tinubu’s claim, made in Brazil, that his administration had ended corruption in Nigeria.
Angered by the posts, the DSS demanded that X Inc. (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms Inc. ban Sowore’s accounts and remove the posts.
The security agency also wrote to Sowore, asking him to delete the posts from all platforms.
Non-compliance with the request led to the charges.
The prosecution claims the defamatory posts were intended to cause a breakdown of law and order and to tarnish the president’s reputation.
Exhibits include printouts of the posts and the DSS letters.
X Inc. and Meta were initially co-defendants but were delisted in the amended charge.
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