The North-Central All Progressives Congress, APC, Forum has expressed regret over its agitation for the return of the party’s national chairmanship to the North-Central region, saying the occupant of the position, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has failed to demonstrate competence and capacity.
The forum, a coalition of APC stakeholders across the North-Central, made its position known in a statement released on Sunday in Abuja by its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga.
The APC national chairmanship was zoned to the North-Central at the party’s 2022 national convention, producing former Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Adamu. After Adamu’s resignation in 2023, former Kano governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, from the North-West, assumed the position.
The forum subsequently led a series of protests, press conferences and petitions demanding the return of the office to the region.
Their agitation succeeded on July 24, 2025, when Yilwatda—of Plateau State—was appointed national chairman.
However, the forum said it is now disappointed with his performance, accusing him of promoting religious divisiveness, lacking political experience, and using the office to advance personal political ambitions in Plateau State.
The statement followed the circulation of a video showing Yilwatda addressing a church audience, where he allegedly said he represents Christians of the North-Central—a declaration the forum described as contrary to national and party principles.
“We regret our agitation”
“We, the North-Central APC Forum, regret our agitation for the return of the position of APC national chairman to the North-Central region. We hereby apologise to party leaders who we wronged in the course of the agitation,” the statement read.
“We are apologising to Mr President, to former national chairman Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, and to other leaders of the party. The person who was appointed has not displayed the competence to handle such a sensitive position.”
The group argued that Yilwatda lacks the political maturity required for the office, noting that he has never held elective office “not even as a delegate or councillor.”
According to the forum, his leadership has weakened unity among APC members in the North-Central, particularly in Plateau State.
Calls for replacement
The forum urged President Bola Tinubu to appoint a more competent national chairman—regardless of geopolitical zone—when the party holds its national convention in December 2025.
It added that the North-Central already enjoys significant appointments such as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the North-Central Development Commission, saying the zone does not need the national chairmanship to deliver votes for Tinubu in 2027.
“We have promised Mr President six million votes from the North-Central in 2027, and we will fulfil our promise,” the forum noted.
Accuses Yilwatda of blocking governor’s defection
The group also accused Yilwatda of frustrating efforts to persuade Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, to defect from the PDP to the APC, alleging that the national chairman’s real motive is to preserve his own 2027 governorship ambition.
It claimed that Yilwatda, who lost to Mutfwang in the 2023 governorship race, is “using his office to block the governor’s entry into the party.”
The forum demanded Yilwatda’s resignation to allow him focus on his governorship ambitions.
“If he is a true leader, he should not block people from coming in to strengthen the party,” it said.
The APC national chairman has yet to respond to the allegations.
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