The emergence of Nentawe Yilwatda as the substantive National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has sparked mixed reactions across party ranks, with sources attributing his selection to regional agitation, religious balancing, and a break from the tradition of appointing former governors.
Naijaonpoint reports that Yilwatda, who is currently serving as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, was officially named the fifth substantive national chairman of the ruling party during its 14th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He replaces Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who stepped down on June 27, 2025, citing health-related reasons.
Multiple sources within the party who spoke with Daily Trust disclosed that Yilwatda’s appointment followed intense lobbying by North Central stakeholders, who insisted the region must complete the tenure vacated by former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu, in 2023.
According to a party source, “There was strong pressure from the North Central that the region should not be shortchanged again. They wanted the chairmanship slot returned to them, and Yilwatda’s emergence was a strategic consensus.”
In an interview with Daily Trust, the APC’s National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the choice of Yilwatda reflected the party’s decision to move away from the long-standing norm of appointing former governors as national chairmen.
Ibrahim said, “They wanted a technocrat, something different from the previous tradition, where each time they picked a former governor. They wanted someone who could steer the party towards the convention. But the politicking itself is best known to the politicians.”
Asked whether Yilwatda’s appointment was also intended to address lingering religious imbalances, especially amid criticism of the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, Ibrahim admitted that such considerations may have influenced the decision.
“It’s possible. Those factors may have played out,” he said.
Yilwatda, who previously served as the Director General of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council in Plateau State during the 2023 elections, is seen by many as a bridge between the technocratic elite and the grassroots political structure.
Despite APC’s loss in Plateau in the last presidential election, insiders argue that Yilwatda “did his best,” and his loyalty to the Tinubu campaign was noted.
Yilwatda’s emergence is also being interpreted in some quarters as part of President Bola Tinubu’s broader strategy to reclaim support in opposition-leaning states, especially across the North Central and North West zones.