By Ayomide Otitoju
Nentawe Yilwatda is expected to emerge as the new national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following what sources describe as a consensus endorsement at a high-level meeting involving President Bola Tinubu and party governors.
Yilwatda’s likely confirmation is anticipated at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday. His emergence would mark a significant realignment in the APC’s leadership following the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje, reportedly on health grounds. Ganduje has since been appointed chairman of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
According to party insiders, Wednesday’s late-night meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja was pivotal, with attendees including the president, APC governors, and senior stakeholders. One source noted that the party leadership sought a candidate “untainted by political baggage,” and Yilwatda was deemed a fitting choice.
Yilwatda, a Christian from Plateau State, brings both regional and religious diversity to the party’s hierarchy. He was the APC’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate in Plateau and previously served as Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Benue State.
Born on August 8, 1968, in Kanke LGA, Plateau State, Yilwatda is an engineer by training with a background in public administration.
