I’ll Take Tough Decisions, Bring In More PDP Governors – New APC Chairman Yilwatda

Newly appointed APC Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, has vowed to take bold decisions and woo more PDP governors into the ruling party.

The newly elected Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has pledged to take “tough decisions with gentility and teamwork” as he assumes leadership of Nigeria’s ruling party.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today shortly after his emergence, Yilwatda assured party members and Nigerians that he will lead with calm but strategic firmness—mirroring President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style.

“The confidence they have in me is to make sure I take tough decisions but with gentility and teamwork for the collective interest of the party,” he said, emphasizing that “Mr. President’s body language is calm and soft-talking, but he takes bold steps where others hesitate.”

Yilwatda, who was APC’s 2023 governorship candidate in Plateau State and recently served as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, said his top priority is to unite and expand the party. He vowed to engage in “legwork” to bring more governors and political heavyweights from opposition parties—particularly the PDP—into the APC fold.

“We have 23 governors and we are still counting,” he said confidently. “My job is to bring in more.”

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Already in 2025, two governors—Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) and Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta)—have defected from the PDP to the APC.

Yilwatda also stated that he would draw from the experience of former APC leaders like Abdullahi Ganduje, Adams Oshiomhole, Abdullahi Adamu, and Mai Mala Buni, all of whom remain within the party.

“My immediate priority is that the party is united,” he added, pledging to ensure the APC’s manifesto is implemented effectively across the country.

A trained engineer and former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Yilwatda touted his mix of academic, private sector, and administrative experience as the “building blocks” that have prepared him for the national chairmanship role.

“I’m a politician coming in with private sector experience, university experience, administrative experience, election processes experience, and now political experience to gear the wheel of the party,” he said.

Appointed Minister in October 2024, Yilwatda held the position until his new elevation as APC National Chairman on Thursday.