Major Voting Blocs In North West Are With APC – Yilwatda

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has said all the major voting blocs in the Northwest are behind the party ahead of the 2027 general election.

Yilwatda, who stated this during a media chat aired live on some television stations on Wednesday night, said the major political structures in the swing states of Kano, Sokoto, and Kaduna are aligned with the APC.

Responding to a question on whether the party is jittery about its standing in the region, he said: “We are good to go in the northwest when it comes to the numbers.”

He noted that former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is politically vulnerable at the moment, adding that the other two blocs in the state, led by Abdullahi Ganduje and Ibrahim Shekarau, are leading towards the APC.

In Kaduna, the APC chairman also said Southern Kaduna, which was a PDP stronghold, has shifted to the APC. “The entire structure of Southern Kaduna is with us,” he said.

According to Yilwatda, APC is a better, well-organised, and pan-political party in the country at present.

He said the party’s organisational ability and pan-Nigerian outlook led to its victory in recent polls across the country.

“In all the elections we have had, we’ve obviously seen APC win them all. We had the FCT election. We won five out of six. We won over 80% of the councillorship. There’s no other party that got 80% of that.

“We’ve won elections across all six geopolitical zones. We’ve won elections in the southwest. We’ve won elections in the south-south. We’ve won elections in the southeast. We’ve won elections also in the north. We’ve won in the northeast, northwest, and north-central.

“We’re the only party that has that kind of distribution. The only party that opposes us in the southeast is APGA. The only party that opposed us in Kano at that time was NNPP. They got one; we got one. But today, the government is with us, and most supporters are with us. And even the PDP part of Kano, which we all trust, is around; it’s all defected.

“So our party is stronger, better, and more organised. Let me tell you what we’re looking for. Number one, we need to build internal democracy in the party. Increase transparency. And to do that, we need the right technology. We must do registration.

“Today, INEC visited us. We were more than happy. We submitted our audited accounts to INEC last month. And they had to visit us, audit us, and verify our activities. They came in today. They verified what we were doing. They went through our books, went through our accounts, went through our activities…,” he said.

Yilwatda noted that, though the party faced an internal crisis, it established internal mechanisms to address the issues.

He said APC has also been reviewing what governments are doing in their states to determine how they can improve governance at the state and local government levels.

The national chairman said the party has also met with the president and the National Assembly in this regard.

“So, these are things we are doing to ensure that we strengthen the party. Prepare the party for the future, and that’s what you do as a party.

Yilwatda also allayed fears that the party would be heading toward implosion due to many defectors joining its ranks, as both old and new members are given equal opportunities.

“What we are trying to say is, build a party that accommodates everybody. A pan-Nigerian party that includes all tribes, all religions, all genders and all age categories.

“If you watch our congresses, the opposition said that after our congress, our party will collapse. We have to manage everyone’s interests. We have to manage the interests of the governors, the National Assembly, and other party members. We did that, and we did that equitably,” he said.

The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, Yilwatda said he came into the government with the nod of the National Working Committee of his party, the PDP.

He said the FCT minister must not be a member of the APC before working in its administration, but noted that he would be welcome to the party if he decides to join.

The APC chairman said that precedent had been set in the country when Bala Mohammed, as a member of the ANPP, worked as FCT minister under the PDP administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, among others

others.

Also responding to questions, the national secretary dismissed claims that the APC was stifling opposition, adding that those making such claims were the architects of their own misfortune.

“Now, talking about frustrating opposition, as at the last count, we have no less than 19 registered political parties in Nigeria. And the political parties claiming they have problems are not up to four or five. So, the majority of Nigerian political parties don’t have any problems.

Speaking of facts, out of 19 or so political parties, four have issues. The question you ask them is whether they are conducting affairs in accordance with the law, so as not to continue having such a problem.

“Then, if you say APC is the source of the problem, have you seen any APC member challenging internal processes of other political parties? The Supreme Court of Nigeria says it rejected an application for a stay of execution of an existing judgment of the Court of Appeal, which holds that the status quo ante bellum should be maintained in the case of the two factions of the ADC.

“…The question is, where is the hand of the APC in that regard? And some other political parties, like the People’s Democratic Party. The People’s Democratic Party faction appears before the Supreme Court as well. The Supreme Court refused to grant them a stay of execution, and said we have granted assiduous hearing of their proceedings, and put a date for them to be able to approve themselves and come to that regard.

“So we cannot be casting aspersions on the issue of judiciary and the issue of democracy, just to serve the interests of the few,” he added.