 has appointed Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as its new National Chairman, in a move seen as part of a){kind=link}
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as its new National Chairman, in a move seen as part of a broader effort to stabilize the party and reposition it ahead of the 2027 general elections.
His emergence was officially confirmed on Thursday during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the APC national secretariat in Abuja. The high-level gathering brought together top party stakeholders to deliberate on key internal matters and set a renewed political agenda for the ruling party.
Yilwatda’s elevation was the outcome of a consensus arrangement, a strategy that party insiders described as both symbolic and pragmatic. The move was intended to avoid factional divisions and to send a unified message of readiness and cohesion, especially as the party faces upcoming electoral challenges.
Professor Yilwatda takes over from Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who officially resigned from the position on June 27. In the interim, and in a bid to maintain leadership continuity, IREPORT247NEWS reported that the APC swiftly appointed its Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Ali Bukar Dalori, as Acting Chairman, pending the ratification of a substantive leader.
A respected academic and former governorship candidate in Plateau State, Professor Yilwatda has long been recognized as a disciplined and policy-oriented party loyalist.
Widely admired for his calm temperament and strategic thinking, he is expected to usher in a more measured, reform-driven era in APC leadership, focusing on internal restructuring, grassroots mobilization, and national outreach.
However, while his appointment has been largely welcomed within the party, it has also stirred political discourse — particularly concerning issues of regional representation.
IREPORT247NEWS reports that political stakeholders from the North-Central zone have been vocal in expressing their concerns over perceived marginalisation in the APC’s power structure. The North-Central APC Forum issued a statement shortly before the NEC meeting, warning against the exclusion of their region from producing the next party chairman.
The Forum insisted that the appointment of a Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) from the zone should not serve as a reason to deny the region further representation at the top tier of party leadership.
Interestingly, the newly appointed chairman, Professor Yilwatda, hails from Plateau State — one of the core states in the North-Central geopolitical zone. This development appears to undercut earlier fears of exclusion, although some observers believe that lingering grievances over zoning arrangements may still resurface in future internal negotiations.
Analysts believe that while Yilwatda’s appointment may temporarily calm tensions, the APC must do more to address broader concerns about equity, inclusion, and balance in power-sharing among Nigeria’s diverse regions.
As the countdown to the 2027 polls begins, all eyes will be on Professor Yilwatda to see whether he can unify the party’s factions, reform its internal operations, and solidify the APC’s national standing amid increasing political competition.