2027: ADC, NDC only participants, not rivals — Yilwatda

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed the electoral challenge posed by emerging opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the APC remains firmly positioned to retain power.

Yilwatda spoke on Saturday in Maiduguri, Borno State, at the end of a three-day retreat attended by members of the party’s National Working Committee, elected National Executive Committee members and state chairmen.

He said the recent performance of the APC in legislative by-elections demonstrated the party’s strength at the grassroots, noting that it won four of the five seats contested across Gombe, Kano, Bauchi and Delta states on September 19.

The Allied Peoples Movement won the remaining seat in Bauchi State.

According to Yilwatda, the results showed that the APC’s main electoral challenge was not coming from parties such as the African Democratic Congress and Nigeria Democratic Congress.

“We went to Ekiti and came first; the party that came second was the PDP, not the so-called opposition, ADC and NDC. We went to Osun and we became second, none of those political parties you claimed won even a councillorship,” he said.

Yilwatda added that the APC was prepared for the 2027 election and confident in its grassroots structure.

“So if they can’t even win a councillorship, are we contesting against them? As far as I am concerned, they are participants in this election, not contesting with us. We are very confident that our party can win this election; we are prepared to win the 2027 election,” he said.

The APC chairman also cited a recent by-election in Adamawa State, claiming that the party won in Ganye Local Government Area, which he described as the home area of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.

“Even last week, we had a by-election in Adamawa, in Ganye Local Government, where Atiku comes from, and we won the election. We are very grounded, and I doubt if any party can challenge us,” Yilwatda said.

The APC won the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye federal constituency, Dawakin Kudu state constituency in Kano, Udu state constituency in Delta and Disina state constituency in Bauchi during the September 19 legislative by-elections, while APM won the Sakwa state constituency in Bauchi.

Yilwatda said the party’s retreat also reviewed its structures from the national level down to polling units, describing the outcome as a “clean bill of health” for the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the meeting passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima and candidates who emerged from the party’s primary elections.

The APC chairman said the party would intensify reconciliation efforts at the grassroots, with state chapters expected to establish committees to strengthen internal unity and consolidate previous electoral gains.

He added that the National Working Committee would lead the party’s campaigns and highlight the achievements of the Tinubu administration as the 2027 election approaches.

Yilwatda also said the party observed a moment of mourning for the 37 miners who died in Niger State and extended condolences to the state government and families of the victims.

The APC chairman called on Nigerians and party supporters to participate actively in the 2027 elections and support the party’s candidates.