The newly appointed National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has vowed to grow and strengthen the Party across the country, promising to work with all stakeholders to build a more united political front.
“I pledge without hesitation that I will work with everybody in the Party. I will expand the Party with you,” Yilwatda declared in his acceptance speech during the 14th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC held on Thursday at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The announcement followed a unanimous resolution by the NEC, effectively putting an end to weeks of internal wrangling and negotiations within the Party.
Earlier during the meeting, the Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, had moved the motion to zone the Chairmanship to the North Central region — a position many believed had been unjustly displaced under the previous leadership
Yilwatda, a former Governorship candidate in Plateau State and a loyalist of former Governor Simon Lalong, was immediately sworn in following the decision.
Party insiders confirmed that his emergence was sealed the previous night after President Bola Tinubu and his wife, Remi Tinubu, gave their full backing to his candidacy.
The decision to appoint Yilwatda — a Christian from the Middle Belt — is widely viewed as a strategic move to mend internal rifts within the APC and address growing regional and religious discontent that followed the controversial Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 general elections.
His emergence is seen not just as a political compromise, but as part of a broader plan to solidify the Tinubu-led faction’s hold on the Party ahead of the 2027 polls.
Sources told MJConcept TV News that both Yilwatda and former Nasarawa Governor, Tanko Al-Makura, were the final contenders considered before NEC members threw their support behind the former, owing to his perceived loyalty to the President and political viability in the North Central region.
In a related development, the APC NEC also approved the extension of the tenure of all Ward, Local Government, and State Executive Committees nationwide until December 31, 2025 — a move analysts interpret as further entrenching the Tinubu structure within the Party.
Prof. Yilwatda’s appointment marks a new chapter for the APC as it prepares for the political battles ahead, with many watching closely to see whether his promise to “work with everybody” would translate into actual unity within the ruling Party.