The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has chosen Nentawe Yilwatda, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, as its new national chairman.
He was nominated by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo and seconded by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen.
The motion passed after a voice vote during Thursday’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.
Yilwatda’s appointment comes months after former chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, resigned in June citing “urgent and important personal matters.”
Ganduje had replaced Abdullahi Adamu in August 2023, but faced pressure from North Central leaders who felt sidelined when the chairmanship was zoned to the North West.
“I thank the President for the opportunity to serve the party at the highest level,” Ganduje wrote in his resignation letter.
A Professor, Politician, and Party Loyalist
Born in Plateau State on August 8, 1968, Yilwatda is an electrical engineer and academic with over 25 years of professional experience.
He earned his PhD in Digital Systems Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Between 2017 and 2021, he was INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Benue State.
He resigned to contest the APC governorship primary in Plateau. He won the party’s ticket but lost the 2023 election to PDP’s Caleb Mutfwang.
Yilwatda later served as Plateau State Coordinator for the Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign.
His appointment as minister in November 2023 came after Simon Lalong resigned to return to the Senate, following a Court of Appeal ruling.
Yilwatda is a close ally of Lalong and is seen as part of the core group behind the APC’s recent strategic gains in Plateau.
Zoning, Religion and Party Balance
By selecting Yilwatda—a Christian from the North Central—the APC appears to be addressing deep internal grievances over zoning and religion.
The Ganduje-led tenure drew backlash from party leaders in the Middle Belt who felt their region was shortchanged.
Also, concerns had grown over religious balance in top political positions, especially after APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 election.
Bringing in a North Central Christian as chairman is seen as an attempt to correct course ahead of 2027.
A senior APC official told reporters, “The leadership has narrowed the race to Yilwatda and Al-Makura. But the momentum is clearly with Yilwatda.”
Some stakeholders had backed former Nasarawa governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, as a fallback in case consensus failed.
But with President Tinubu’s influence and APC governors’ support, Yilwatda emerged the favourite.
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