APC appoints Nentawe Yilwatda as National Chairman
Abdullateef Fowewe
The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Executive Committee (NEC) has officially announced Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, as the new APC National Chairman.
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His appointment follows the resignation of former chairman Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who stepped down citing health reasons.
His emergence was formally announced on Thursday during the national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the APC in Abuja, where party leaders gathered to chart a new direction ahead of the 2027 general election.
Yilwatda, a seasoned academic and politician from Plateau State, was the APC gubernatorial candidate in Plateau during the 2023 elections.
His emergence as chairman reflects the party’s zoning arrangement, assigning the position to the North-Central geopolitical zone, which includes Plateau, Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, and Niger states.
His Christian faith is seen as strategically inclusive amid a predominantly Muslim executive leadership in the presidency and vice presidency, aiming to broaden the party’s appeal nationally.
The decision was reached after a critical meeting between President Bola Tinubu and APC governors, followed by ratification at the NEC meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
This appointment is expected to stabilise the ruling party and address internal cohesion challenges as it approaches upcoming political contests.
Prof. Yilwatda, aged 56, brings a blend of academic rigor, bureaucratic experience, and political insight to his new role, positioning him to lead the APC through a crucial phase in Nigeria’s political landscape.
