The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Nentawe Yilwatda, has emerged as the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following his nomination and election by members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).
Governor Hope Uzodimma, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, nominated him for the position, while the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, seconded the motion.
The motion was adopted through a voice vote by NEC members present at the meeting held in Abuja on Thursday.
Yilwatda’s emergence comes at a time when the APC is working to consolidate its grip on power at the federal level and in several states where governors have recently defected to the ruling party.
Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda is a former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, a distinguished academic, visionary leader, and advocate for national development.
He was appointed as minister by President Bola Tinubu in late 2023, having been nominated on October 23 and sworn in on November 4.
Aged 56 and from Plateau State, Yilwatda takes over the leadership of the APC from Abdullahi Ganduje, who resigned in June, citing personal reasons.
According to APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, Ganduje’s resignation took immediate effect to allow him attend to “urgent and important personal matters.”
In his resignation letter addressed to the National Working Committee (NWC) through the National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, Ganduje expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve the party at the highest level.
Following his resignation, the party appointed its Deputy National Chairman (North), Ali Dalori, to oversee party affairs in an acting capacity.
Ganduje became APC National Chairman in August 2023 following the resignation of his predecessor, Abdullahi Adamu.
He had served as governor of Kano State between 2015 and 2023.
Earlier this year, President Tinubu appointed Ganduje as Chairman of the Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN)
