The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has asked leaders of the party in the zone to liaise with the party’s governors and meet President Bola Tinubu to review Professor Nentawe Yilwatda’s appointment as APC national chairman.
Specifically, the Forum urged the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume, and APC governors in the North-Central (Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa and Niger) to interface with the Progressive Governors Forum – the umbrella body of APC governors – on the need to meet Tinubu for a review Yilwatda’s appointment.
The demand, made in a statement issued on Wednesday, is the latest twist in the face-off between the North-Central APC Forum and some chieftains of the party in Plateau State over Governor Caleb Muftwang’s possible defection to the APC.
The APC Forum has been campaigning for Muftwang to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but the executives of the APC in Plateau are opposing the move and in October, organized a stakeholders meeting where a resolution was passed to reject Muftwang’s coming.
Also, on Tuesday, the women wing of the APC in Plateau held a rally in Jos, where they vehemently rejected alleged moves by Mutfwang to decamp to the party.
The North-Central APC Forum has alleged that the party’s national chairman, Yilwatda, who is from Plateau, is sponsoring protests and a media campaign against Mutfwang’s defection to the party because of his intention to contest the gubernatorial election in 2027. Yilwatda was APC governorship candidate in Plateau in 2023 but lost to Muftwang of the PDP.
The Forum, which had earlier described Yilwatda’s alleged opposition to Muftwang joining the APC as undemocratic and against the party’s constitution, in a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, urged APC leaders from the North-Central zone to seek an immediate review of the national chairman’s appointment.
According to the Forum, it is imperative for the North-Central to seek a review of Yilwatda’s appointment because his alleged poor performance as national chairman will have a negative effect on the prospects of the zone when major appointments are considered in future.
Parts of the statement read, “We are calling on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, who is the leader of APC in the North-Central, the Progressive Governors Forum, and the APC governors in the North-Central, to quickly meet Mr President to review the appointment of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as national chairman because his unsatisfactory performance.
“We are compelled to make this call because we don’t want a situation where the North-Central will be judged on the performance of the current national chairman, which we fear could deny the region major opportunities in the future.
“The national chairman has not demonstrated the competence required to lead the APC, rather he is spending time and resources fighting those who are working for the growth of the party, particularly in Plateau State.
“If the national chairman is allowed to continue in the manner he is going, any person presented by the North-Central for major national assignments in future will be at a disadvantage. As stakeholders whose only interest is the progress of the party and the region, we can’t fold our hands and allow that to happen. That is why we are urging the leaders of the party to intervene quickly.”
The North-Central APC Forum restated its assertion that Yilwatda does not understand the role of party national chairman, noting that he cannot stop Muftwang from joining the party.
“We have are made it clear to the national chairman that he has no role to play in bringing Governor Caleb Mutfwang to the APC. Only Mutfwang’s ward in Mangu has the right to admit him as a member of the party. Instead of discharging his role as a leader and providing leadership to move the party forward, the national chairman insists on
sponsoring groups to go to the media and to stage protests to stop Muftwang from defecting.”
The Forum further urged APC governors to view the national chairman’s alleged actions as violation of the party’s constitution.
“As national chairman, he should not be partisan in the internal affairs of the party, and also he should not put selfish interests ahead of the interests of the party. But because of his ambition to be the governor of Plateau State, he is blocking people who would strengthen the party from coming on board.
“Governor Muftwang’s defection will automatically deliver Plateau State to the APC and as the national chairman, he is expected to support this movement but instead, he is working against it and by extension, working against the interests of the party.
“The office of national chairman is bigger than him as it is evident that he lacks the experience and capacity to discharge the assignment, having not been elected as even a delegate or councilor, nor served the party in any capacity before his appointment.
“This is why we are calling on relevant authorities in the APC to, without delay, review his appointment as national chairman. At the end of the review, we expect that Mr President will approve the appointment of a more capable person as national chairman,” the statement added.
The North-Central APC Forum further restated its call on Yilwatda to step down from the position and concentrate on his governorship bid, “rather than leading the party into crisis”.
In a related development, the North-Central APC Forum congratulated Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum, Hope Uzodinma, on his appointment by President Tinubu as Director-General for Party Outreach, Engagement and Mobilisation.
In the new role, Uzodinma who will also serve as the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Ambassador, is to work closely with the leadership of the APC and state governors to champion the achievements and programmes of the Tinubu administration across all political structures.
The North-Central APC Forum, while describing the appointment as well deserved, noted that the development has justified its position that the national chairman was not discharging his assignment effectively.
It equally urged urged Uzodinma to leverage on the new role, as well as his capacity as chairman of APC governors, to push for review of the national chairman’s appointment.
The Forum further warned that paying Plateau women “peanuts” to protest against Mutfwang’s defection to the APC could worsen the insecurity in the state as criminal elements will now target them, believing they got huge sums of money.
“This is unfortunate as it will expose the women and their families to risk. Every right thinking person should condemn this,” the Forum added.