President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commended the immediate-past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for his contributions to the party, especially in establishing the party’s Progressive Institute.

Speaking at the APC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, Tinubu praised Ganduje’s commitment to the party’s ideals and announced plans to retain him as a consultant to the new national leadership.

“I gave him an assignment on the formation of a Progressive Institute. The National Secretary will work with the chairman to revitalise it and we can still take him [Ganduje] as a consultant to work with the new chairman to do that,” the President said.

In a strategic move aimed at accommodating a wave of expected defectors, President Tinubu announced a shift in the dates for the States, Local Government, and Ward congresses to December.

This delay is widely seen as part of the APC’s broader realignment efforts to bolster its ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections, especially in light of emerging opposition coalitions.

Naijaonpoint reports that the highlight of the NEC meeting was the formal emergence of Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, as the new APC National Chairman.

Yilwatda’s nomination was moved by Governor Hope Uzodimma, chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, and seconded by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.