The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State says it has recorded a membership surge of over 150,000 people, describing the development as part of a broader political shift taking place across the state.
State APC chairman Mohammed Hassan made the disclosure at a gathering of party leaders and supporters, during which lists bearing the names of roughly 117,000 new members were formally submitted. He said further registrations and defections had lifted the total above the 150,000 mark.
Formal Submission of Membership Lists
A statement sighted by Legit.ng on Sunday, August 16, noted that the lists were presented by APC deputy governorship candidate Farouk Mustapha, former political adviser to Governor Bala Mohammed, Shittu Zaki, and Hassana Arkila.
Among those who crossed to the APC is Hamza, a former chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), along with roughly 20 ex-local government chairmen, a former member of the House of Representatives, and supporters who were previously affiliated with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Who Has Joined the APC
The party also said former office holders, political organisers, community leaders, women, young people and grassroots supporters from different parts of Bauchi State had all come on board.
The APC credited the influx to consistent mobilisation efforts by key figures within the party, naming Mustapha, Zaki, Arkila and Zainab Babban Takko as central to those efforts.
Why New Members Say They Joined
According to the party, many of the new entrants cited the performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration and the impact of Federal Government programmes in Bauchi State as their primary motivation for joining.
The APC also pointed to the work of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, noting his contributions to health-sector reforms and federal interventions in Bauchi State and other parts of the country as a factor that resonated with incoming members.
Despite the numbers, the party cautioned that membership growth alone was not sufficient. Hassan stressed the need to properly document and absorb the new members into ward and local government structures, adding that collation and verification of membership records would continue as returns arrived from across the state.
Previously, Legit.ng reported that the vice presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, announced that a group of defectors from Madobi Local Government Area had left the APC to join the NDC. Kwankwaso said he received the defectors personally and offered them a warm welcome into the party.
