"North-Central APC Claims Yilwatda is Marginalizing Us Over Our Support for Muftwang's Defection"

The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum has accused national chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, of sidelining its members because they campaigned for the defection of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang, to the party.

The North-Central APC Forum, comprising stakeholders of the party in the North-Central states, had led a campaign to woo Muftwang to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the APC.

Muftwang formally joined the APC in January 2026, moving into the party with all his aides and the entire Plateau State Executive Council.

Yilwatda, who was the governorship candidate of the APC in the 2023 election, which was won by Muftwang, was initially reported to be behind a counter campaign against the governor’s defection to the ruling party. There are insinuations that Yilwatda wants to run for governor again in 2023 and as a result, wanted to block Muftwang from joining the party.

However, with Muftwang now in the APC, the North-Central APC Forum has raised the alarm that the party’s national chairman is nursing grudges against its members over their role in the governor’s defection.

In a statement released by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, in Abuja on Tuesday, the North-Central APC Forum suggested that although he publicly welcomed Muftwang to the APC, Yilwatda’s actions indicate that he is not happy with the Plateau governor’s defection to the party.

The APC Forum said the party’s national chairman does not understand politics, and urged President Bola Tinubu and elders of the party to advise him properly.

The Forum expressed regrets that Yilwatda, who benefited from its agitation for the return of the position of APC national chairman to the North-Central zone, has chosen to witch-hunt and marginalize committed stakeholders of the party who made sacrifices for his emergence.

The statement said, “We want to place it on the record that the National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, is sidelining our members in the APC North-Central From simply because we championed the campaign for Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang to come to the party.

“It is quite unfortunate that a party national chairman does not understand politics as a game of interest.

“It is on the record that we were the ones that agitated for the position of national chairman, which Prof Yilwatda is occupying today, to return to the North-Central.

“Rather than appreciate our contributions, he is keeping malice and sidelining our members despite our contributions to the development of the party and our commitment to the re-election of Mr President in 2027. He is working very hard to reduce our power and influence in the party.”

The Forum stressed that Governor Muftwang has nothing against the APC national chairman. It added that its members are not opposed to Yilwatda’s position.

“Even Governor Muftwang, who he is silently working against, took him as a brother and is not opposing his position as party national chairman. Even we the members of the APC North-Central Forum, we are not against him continuing as the national chairman because we know what it took us to fight for the position.

“It is very unfortunate and disheartening that the national chairman is keeping grudges with us simply because we campaigned for Governor Muftwang to come into the party.

“We are calling on leaders and elders of the party to advise the national chairman and teach him how to play politics because he still lacks the experience. Politics is a game of interests, for the development of the society. It is a game of understanding.

“Maybe Professor Yilwatda thinks the position of national chairman is just for him and his relatives.

“Our campaign for Muftwang to come to the APC was informed by our commitment to the unity and development of Plateau State but up till now he (Yilwatda) is feeling threatened even though he is claiming he is with the governor.

“The national chairman has pledged that he is going to support Governor Muftwang but based on his actions it is clear that he is not with the governor, instead he is keeping malice with those of us in the North-Central APC Forum that campaigned for Muftwang’s coming,” the statement added.

The Forum restated its call on President Bola Tinubu to ensure the election of credible national officers for the APC during the forthcoming National Convention.

It stressed that it is imperative that the party begins consultations towards electing distinguished personalities with proven track records and experience to fill all the positions in the NWC, including the position of national chairman.

According to the Forum, Tinubu should immediately take charge of a “vetting process” that would ensure that only persons with the required capacity are elected at the convention to steer the affairs of the APC.

“We are urging Mr President and the leaders of the party to consider the type of persons that will be elected as national officers of the party at the forthcoming national convention.

“There should be no excuse for not getting it right at the national convention and that is why we urge Mr President to take charge of the vetting process that will ensure that the right persons emerge as the national officers of our party,” the statement added.