Why Opposition Will Find It Difficult To Penetrate North Central – Yakubu

The zonal secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the North Central, Hon. Adamu Mohammed Yakubu, speaks to IGHO OYOYO about the party’s dominance in the zone, its plans for the 2027 general election, and the challenges of unity, security, and internal democracy. Excepts.

Following the conclusion of the FCT Congress, what are the three priorities for the APC in the North Central zone ahead of the 2027 general election?

Looking at previous elections, we had issues only in the FCT and Plateau State. We won Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Benue. Now, we are fortunate that the Plateau State governor has completed his consultations and decided to belong to the centre; he has decamped to our party. So now, the entire North Central is APC.

We are focused on managing our success and ensuring that dividends of democracy reach every nook and cranny of the zone. In the FCT, you can testify that the minister has improved development. That alone will boost our support. However, we want him to improve workers’ welfare and ensure that political dividends reach all 62 wards in the FCT. This time, we are not aiming for just 25 per cent victory for the President—we want a landslide victory to make the FCT the sixth state of the zone.

We also have security challenges in parts of Kwara, Niger, and Kogi. We are engaging governors and the federal government to reduce these challenges before the election.

As zonal secretary, what has been the party’s biggest achievement since its inception, and what is the main challenge you are working to resolve?

The APC in the North Central has been vibrant and consistently winning. In Niger State, we have an unbroken winning streak. In Kwara, we defeated the PDP. In Kogi, we had a seamless transition from Yahaya Bello to Governor Usman Ododo. Nasarawa and Benue, under Governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, are firmly APC.

Our primary challenge is Plateau State, which we lost in the last election. However, we are fortunate that our national chairman comes from Plateau, which strengthens our resolve. In the FCT, we faced internal issues and the 25 per cent vote share debate. We are working hard to resolve these and win the territory outright next time. The North Central gave President Tinubu maximum votes last time, and by God’s grace, we promise total votes in 2027.

Amid complaints of hunger and insecurity, do you foresee a repeat of President Tinubu’s 2023 landslide?

In the North Central, we gave him a landslide then, and we will do so again in 2027. The President is doing his best, disbursing funds to governors who are also working hard. The cries about hunger and insecurity stem from accumulated problems that cannot be resolved overnight. It is like fixing a dislocation, you feel pain during the process. These are the pains we feel now. But with ongoing reforms, the President will get even more votes from the North Central than before.

 Are you not worried that the ADC is trying to form a formidable force that could affect your 25 per cent in the FCT?

We would be worried if they could organise themselves and challenge us. But their challenge is even greater than winning an election—they are failing to even organise a party. They lack cohesion and have different ideologies. They thought they could copy what we did with the APC, but they have ambitious people battling just to own a party. The party they had was not registered by them, so the original owners are still fighting them. Until they have a solid platform, they are not a challenge to us.

Some aggrieved members from the FCT Congress feel their desires were not met. What are your plans to reconcile them?

The fallout from our Congress a few days ago was minimal. We are lucky—we just had area council elections. Those who feel unaccommodated in the party structure are hoping to be accommodated in the area council governments. We are doing our best to bring everyone on board. The few aggrieved people are still here, and we are talking with them. They are willing to accept positions in the area councils once the government is sworn in.

What major challenges do you foresee in mobilising party supporters across the North Central?

The zone has security challenges in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Kwara, and parts of Kogi. We are working seriously on these issues. If people face fewer security challenges, they will feel the dividends of democracy. The governors are working to make the government’s impact felt. That alone will help us make serious improvement over previous elections.

Some PDP members decamped to the APC hoping to get tickets for the coming elections. Is the APC in FCT planning to give automatic tickets to popular aspirants?

No. According to the APC Constitution, every member, old and new is equal and has the right to seek any position. Hoping for a ticket is fine, but they must follow the process. If they emerge as winners, they are no longer new, they are part of the system. The party is trying to adopt consensus where possible. Only where consensus fails will we go to the field, and the election is direct. If you are popular, you win. No one gets a free ticket, regardless of past status.

Politicians in the FCT worry that the FCT Administration may influence who becomes who in the APC. Your take?

The national chairman of APC recently clarified that the FCT minister is not a member of the APC. He works for the APC government, and we respect him for that, but he has no right to adopt or impose anything on our party. That answers your question.

So the minister will not influence who gets party tickets for FCT APC?

That is what our national chairman said. My boss has said it, and I concur.

You have always had the passion to represent the FCT in the House of Representatives. Will you be running?

In this political dispensation, I have many followers and people interested in seeing me represent them. I have received many calls from supporters urging me to contest. I am still consulting. In the next few weeks, if I decide to contest, I will make it public. We still have a few weeks until the primaries.

What step is the North Central zone taking to engage young people and integrate them into party leadership?

Our party has expanded youth representation. Previously we had only one youth leader; now we have a youth leader, an assistant youth leader, senatorial youth leaders, and a zonal youth leader. The APC National Youth Leader is truly youthful, unlike other parties that appoint elders as youth leaders. We ensure youths occupy youth seats. Additionally, the President’s initiatives like student loans and other soft loans create platforms for youth engagement.

What lesson did the APC in North Central learn from the last election, and what will you do differently for President Tinubu’s victory?

Our problem in a few states, especially Plateau and the FCT, was the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Now people realise it’s not about religion but what the government can offer. The President’s “Renewed Hope” agenda is blocking revenue leakages and generating more revenue. Governors are getting more money. President Tinubu is also pushing for local government autonomy so that money goes directly to the wards and LGAs. If he achieves that, much will be achieved at the grassroots.

Not long ago, you appealed to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to join the APC. That call hasn’t been answered. Are you worried?

I did make that call. Now that he has taken charge of the PDP and controls his NWC, I think we want him to continue in that role to give our President a platform to ride on two parties.

What is your advice to the newly-elected APC state chairman?

The new chairman is young, dynamic, and willing to unite the party. He is passionate about winning elections. Now that the opportunity is given to him, I believe he will bring us together as a family. The broom symbol means we must come together to sweep away any dirt. I call on other executive members to cooperate with him. He has the passion to unite us to win elections in 2027.