The Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has constituted an assessment committee to monitor the performance of local government chairmen across the state, as the party intensifies efforts to strengthen internal accountability and consolidate its political base ahead of the 2027 general election.
Aside from that, the party disclosed that plans have been concluded to commence a comprehensive electronic membership registration exercise in January 2026.
The party’s Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, made this yesterday while addressing journalists at the APC secretariat in Lagos, with other party executive members, including the APC publicity Secretary, Oluseye Oladejo.
Ojelabi said the party had put in place a monitoring mechanism to ensure that local government chairmen deliver tangible development to residents.
He revealed that an assessment committee had been set up to track projects, spending and responsiveness to community needs.
“There is now a healthy competition among council chairmen. Funds released to councils must be used for development. We are monitoring them closely and asking questions,” he said.
The chairman added that chairmen have been encouraged to live within their council areas to enable them to respond swiftly to local challenges.
Ojelabi also disclosed that reconciliation committees had already been established at the local government and senatorial district levels to address grievances arising from the July 12 local government elections.
“We have mechanisms to resolve our differences internally. As we prepare for congresses, reconciliation committees have been set up to bring everyone together,” he said.
Ojelabi disclosed that the e-registration would run from January 5 to January 31, 2026, covering all 245 wards in the state.
According to him, the exercise is aimed at building a credible, transparent and verifiable database of party members ahead of the next general elections.
“We want to build a comprehensive and credible database of our members. Before the next general elections, we want to know the actual number of our members,” he said.
He explained that the party remains open to receiving more defectors, noting that interest in joining the APC has continued to rise across Lagos State.
Ojelabi added that the e-registration would also address the issue of long-standing members who have yet to obtain authentic APC membership cards.
“Our party continues to grow bigger. We are receiving more members every day, and we are still open to receiving more people,” Ojelabi stated.
Under the new registration process, prospective members will be required to provide detailed biodata at their ward level, including their name, age, residential address, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN) and Permanent Voter Card (PVC).
He clarified, however, that individuals without PVCs would still be allowed to register but would be classified as temporary members.
Looking ahead, the APC chairman revealed that the party plans to commence its congresses in February 2026, beginning from the ward level and progressing through local government, state and zonal congresses, before culminating in a national convention.
Addressing concerns over delays in the refund of expression of interest and nomination forms from the last local government elections, Ojelabi assured aggrieved aspirants that refunds would begin next week.
On allegations of candidate imposition during party primaries, the APC chairman dismissed such claims, describing them as misconceptions by individuals unfamiliar with the party’s internal processes.
“People cry imposition when it does not favour them. In APC, we operate by rules. Our constitution recognises consensus, which some people wrongly describe as imposition. We do not impose candidates,” he said, adding that some aspirants who failed to meet basic requirements were often the loudest critics.
He noted that the forthcoming e-registration exercise would further help to clarify genuine party membership and strengthen internal democracy.
He called on party members, stakeholders, the media and opposition parties to support efforts aimed at addressing voter apathy, describing low voter turnout as a challenge that requires collective action.
The APC chairman concluded by appealing for continued prayers and support for President Bola Tinubu and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stressing that security and good governance remain a shared responsibility.
