Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management has emerged the leading favourite candidate to become the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to sources, Yilwatda’s possible emergence as the new party boss follows his apparent decision to throw his hat into the ring following his alleged endorsement at a meeting between President Bola Tinubu and the party’s governors.
Should the current momentum for him continue he is expected to be crowned at the party’s crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday. His emergence will mark a major shift in the APC’s leadership structure.
Yilwatda is expected to replace Abdullahi Ganduje, who resigned from the position due to health reasons, though he has stepped into another government position as chairman of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN.
According to source, the decision was reached during a late-night meeting on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The gathering had in attendance President Tinubu, governors elected on the party’s platform, and top-ranking APC stakeholders.
According to one source, “the party’s hierarchy was keen on installing a leader who was untainted by the usual political baggage.” Yilwatda, who is relatively new to the upper rungs of national politics, reportedly fit that bill perfectly.
His religious background was also a factor in the selection process, the source said, as the party sought to create a more balanced leadership spread. Yilwatda hails from a Christian family in Plateau State, adding to the diversity matrix in the APC’s national structure.
Before his current cabinet appointment in 2023, Yilwatda was the APC governorship candidate in Plateau during the last general elections. He also previously served as Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Benue State under the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), earning a reputation for professionalism.
Born on August 8, 1968, in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nentawe Yilwatda is an engineer by training with additional expertise in public administration.
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