Yilwatda Explains APC’s Partnership With Wike’s PDP

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has confirmed that the APC is in a working partnership with FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and, by extension, his faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Yilwatda spoke yesterday against the backdrop of the APC ward, area council, and state congresses in the nation’s capital, where he cautioned defectors into the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the party against attempting to hijack its structures.

Clarifying the working arrangement with Wike and his camp, the APC chairman said: “It is the PDP. Wike wrote to the National Working Committee of the PDP in 2023, and it approved his collaboration with the APC as a minister.

“So it was the PDP that gave approval—not the APC.”

He noted that such alliances are not new in Nigerian politics, recalling a similar arrangement between the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the PDP in 2007.

However, Yilwatda stressed that the partnership does not confer authority on Wike over APC affairs.

“The FCT minister is not a member of the APC. We have never consulted him on party matters,” he said, adding that Wike remains a PDP member and was not invited to the meeting.

Yilwatda also said the interests of both old and new APC members must be protected without allowing one group to subsume the other.

“The people who decamped should not come and take over the party. They should come knowing that there are people who were already in the party.

“It is a home that we built. If the house was not built, nobody would come. So nobody should come as a warrior and take over existing party members,” he said.

According to the APC national chairman, a deliberate power-sharing formula that guarantees inclusion across both blocs is the way forward.

“We must have everybody included. There will be a sharing formula that will ensure that all members of the legacy group and defectors are properly carried along,” he said.

Yilwatda outlined a five-dimensional framework to address issues surrounding party structure in the FCT.

These include gender inclusion, with women occupying substantive executive positions rather than being limited to “women leaders”; geopolitical representation across all six zones of Nigeria; a balance between legacy members and defectors; inclusion of indigenous FCT groups; and youth engagement in proportion to their numerical strength in the party.

He disclosed that a committee chaired by the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Hon. Zephaniah Jisalo—whom he described as a bona fide APC member—had conducted zoning for the FCT, adding that its recommendations were strictly followed.

“No single APC member has complained of being cheated or deprived in any way,” Yilwatda said.

He also maintained that the party’s constitution would be strictly enforced during the upcoming congresses.

The chairman stated that defectors seeking executive positions must present resignation letters duly accepted by their former party chairmen.

“If you are in the opposition, you must provide a resignation letter and evidence of its acceptance by your party chairman. This is very important,” he said.

Yilwatda reiterated the constitutional provision on tenure, noting: “If you have spent eight consecutive years in one office, you must step down or, at best, move to another position.”

He further emphasised inclusion as a core political philosophy.

“There’s nothing as beautiful as food with many spices. If you cook rice and all you see is plain rice, who will eat it? But when there are spices, it becomes appealing,” he said.

Applying the analogy to party politics, he stressed the need for ethnic, gender, generational, and geopolitical representation.

“We must accommodate all tribes. If I am Yoruba, I should see a Yoruba representative. If I am Igbo, I should see an Igbo… It gives a sense of belonging,” he said.

“I am chairing this party because of inclusion. If there is no inclusion, I cannot be here because my tribe is only found in two local governments in this country. I am a minority,” he added.

On women’s participation, he said: “It is time to take gender inclusion seriously. Women are great mobilisers. We should not use them only during elections; they should also be part of leadership.”

On youth involvement, he cited party demographics.

“People between the ages of 18 and 50 make up about 82 per cent of our membership, while those above 50 account for 18 per cent. Elections are about numbers,” he said.