By Zayyad I. Muhammad
The emergence of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as the substantive National Chairman of the APC is purely a product of political calculations ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Tinubu and the APC appear to be working with three key objectives:
1. To re-solidify the APC’s fortunes in the North-Central;
2. To reassure the North-Central geopolitical zone of its stake in the APC — the zone now holds both the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and the APC National Chairman positions;
3. To attract votes from the northern Christian population, which in 2023 overwhelmingly rejected the APC.
Whether this strategy will bear fruit remains to be seen, especially once the opposition PDP and ADC swing into full action.
The APC and President Tinubu face a Herculean task in the North-West and North-East. The truth is, at this critical juncture, the APC is confronting a major challenge in one of its traditional strongholds: the North.
Yilwatda’s selection appears to be driven more by geographical considerations than by his personal political weight, though he is highly educated – an engineering professor , relatively young and well-experienced, and a good candidate in his own right, he was the flag runner for the APC in the 2023 gubernatorial elections in Plateau state and resident electoral commissioner in Benue state from 2017 to 2021
However, I foresee two major problems.
First, Yilwatda is relatively unknown outside Plateau State and has not thoroughly passed through the mills of geopolitical, regional, and national politics. In fact, many Nigerians are not even aware that he is currently serving as a minister in the Tinubu administration.
The APC urgently needs massive rebranding and deeper grassroots penetration in the North. But Yilwatda will first be burdened with the task of selling himself, especially at the national level, where he lacks prior visibility.
This personal branding effort is likely to distract from the party’s broader and more urgent need to reestablish itself and reconnect with its base. Although there are other members of the APC National Working Committee, and Tinubu is currently building elite consensus, especially in the North, the challenges remain significant.
With the election of Nentawe Yilwatda as National Chairman, the APC has now had seven substantive National Chairmen — all of them heavyweights in regional and national politics, except Nentawe Yilwatda:
1. Chief Bisi Akande (2013–2014)
2. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun (2014–2018)
3. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole (2018–2020)
4. Mai Mala Buni (2020–2022)
5. Senator Abdullahi Adamu (2022–2023)
6. Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (2023–2025)
7. Nentawe Yilwatda (2025–
If Yilwatda fails to play his cards right, using not only raw politics but also political science, he may end up consumed by the task of promoting his own image and recognition, potentially overshadowing the APC’s critical objective in the North: rebuilding its presence and political credibility.
Tinubu’s calculations may be grounded in Nigeria’s traditional geopolitical balancing, but the outcome depends not just on political arithmetic. It also hinges on strategy, visibility, and the ability to connect with the people , which remains one of Tinubu’s biggest headaches.
Zayyad writes from Abuja
