Chairman of the Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hon. Rufus Bature, has made a subtle appeal to President Bola Tinubu for a ministerial appointment to replace former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, who is now the National Chairman of the party.
Bature, who made the appeal during an interaction with journalists at the state APC headquarters in Jos on Wednesday, said he is ably qualified to be appointed minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to replace the vacant position created by the recent appointment of Prof. Yilwatda to fill the position from Plateau State.
While responding to a question on who he thinks should replace the APC National Chairman, Hon. Bature stated that though such an appointment is at the discretion of President Tinubu, he would be glad if he is found worthy of an appointment since he has all it takes to fill in.
“Appointing a minister is at the discretion of President Bola Tinubu and if he finds me worthy to be one of his cabinet members, I will gladly accept to be one because I am ably qualified,” he said.
Also speaking on the appointment of Prof. Yilwatda as the APC National Chairman, Hon. Bature said it was a great honour for a Plateau son to lead the ruling party as it would position the party for greater things.
“When the former National Chairman of APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, resigned from his position, there was a need to occupy that seat.
“We didn’t want to leave it to look like there was no other person that could fit into those shoes, and therefore, the necessary procedures as defined by the constitution of the APC were followed after a thorough search and research on individuals.
“The lot fell on one of our own, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, who was nominated by Mr. President and ratified by the National Executive Committee of APC, and by the grace of God, is the new chairman of APC. And so I think it’s kudos to Plateau State.
“The appointment is to complement what we are doing on the Plateau. We are happy because the image of Plateau State has been bolstered.
“I think the last person who held the position of a National Chairman from Plateau was the late Baba Solomon Lar.
“Making Prof. Yilwatda the National Chairman of our great party has further boosted our image as a state. All we need to do is for him to complement our electoral value on the Plateau when elections come in 2027,” he noted.
