Yilwadta Says No Party Can Match APC As Opposition Steps Up Quest For Single Candidate

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has expressed confidence in the ruling party’s ability to secure President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, urging party leaders and members to unite behind a coordinated campaign.

Yilwatda spoke on Tuesday at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, where party leaders, governors, lawmakers and other stakeholders pledged to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid.

His declaration came as six opposition parties intensified consultations with presidential aspirants and candidates to explore cooperation and the possibility of fielding a common candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The parties’ national chairmen and secretaries met with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s former presidential candidate Peter Obi, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, Prince Adewole Adebayo and former Cross River State Governor Donald Duke.

The convener of the G100 Opposition Summit, Salihu Moh. Lukman, disclosed this on Tuesday, saying the consultations were intended to advance opposition cooperation and implement resolutions reached at the summit.

Speaking at the APC campaign council’s inauguration, Yilwatda said the party would campaign on the administration’s economic reforms, infrastructure projects and development priorities while acknowledging existing challenges and explaining how the government intended to address them.

He said the campaign must communicate the administration’s achievements, ongoing projects and outstanding commitments, particularly their potential impact on Nigerians’ daily lives.

Yilwatda urged the campaign council to work with party structures at the national, state, local government and ward levels to ensure that its message reached communities nationwide.

He also called for an issue-based campaign, saying the APC would defend its record with facts and allow Nigerians to make their choices through a credible democratic process.

He identified the cost of living, security, employment, education, healthcare, agricultural productivity and economic opportunities as key issues the campaign should address.

The APC chairman also stressed the importance of women, young people and persons with disabilities in the party’s mobilisation efforts, calling for their meaningful participation.

Also speaking, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma urged the APC not to rely solely on its political structures and numerical strength but to persuade voters of the benefits of the administration’s policies.

Uzodimma, who chairs the Progressive Governors Forum and serves as secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, said the APC controlled the Federal Government, with majorities in both chambers of the National Assembly, 31 states and about 685 local government areas.

He, however, warned that political structures did not automatically guarantee electoral victory, stressing the need for unity, effective mobilisation and grassroots engagement.

The governor expressed confidence in Tinubu’s re-election prospects and urged party leaders to work together towards victory in 2027.

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo also declared support for Tinubu’s re-election, pledging that his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would campaign for the President.

Soludo said APGA would support Tinubu “24/7”, arguing that the administration needed more time to consolidate its reforms.

Defending the continuation of the President’s policies, he said the reforms, although difficult, were necessary and should be allowed to yield further results.

“No way you change a winning team,” Soludo said in support of Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Kabir Masari, urged campaign council members to prioritise grassroots mobilisation rather than limit their activities to meetings in Abuja.

He charged campaign officials to take their message to polling units, wards and communities, saying their performance should be measured by the votes they delivered.

“Stop talking to yourselves and start talking to the people,” he said.

Masari expressed confidence that the campaign council would secure a decisive victory for Tinubu, claiming that the opposition’s combined votes would not reach half of the votes the council would deliver for the President.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who was appointed Tinubu’s campaign coordinator for Rivers State and the FCT, also challenged coordinators to deliver electoral victories in their assigned areas.

He warned that campaign officials should not celebrate if they failed to deliver their states, even if Tinubu won the presidential election.

“If you don’t deliver your state and the President wins, don’t say we have won,” he said.

Wike pledged that Rivers State and the FCT would deliver substantial votes for Tinubu, defending his support for the President despite his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He also argued that political differences should not prevent opposition figures from acknowledging policies they considered beneficial to the country. He expressed support for the proposed establishment of state police.

The Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Abdulaziz Yari, said the campaign would focus on the Tinubu administration’s achievements and future plans, particularly infrastructure development and improving the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.

He urged council members to set aside personal interests and work towards a common objective.

“It’s no time for ego. We have only one agenda: to ensure that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu returns as President,” Yari said.

He highlighted women’s participation in the administration, citing the appointment of eight female ministers and women as heads of government agencies.

Yari pledged to work with other council members to secure Tinubu’s re-election.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, who belongs to the Accord Party, also declared support for Tinubu, arguing that four years would not be enough for the President’s reforms to deliver the desired results.

Adeleke urged Nigerians to give Tinubu more time to consolidate his policies, pledging to contribute to the campaign.

“We must give our father, the President of this nation, time for his reform to work. It’s not easy. Four years is not enough,” he said.

“That is why I’m here to throw my weight behind him.”

He expressed confidence in the campaign, declaring that the movement to return Tinubu to the presidency could not be stopped.

“Nobody can stop this movement,” Adeleke said.

He added, “We’re going to sing, we’re going to dance all the way back to Aso Rock.”

Adeleke urged Nigerians to continue praying for the President, saying the administration’s success would benefit the country.

“If he succeeds, we all succeed,” he said.

Adeleke was named Tinubu’s campaign coordinator in Osun State, while Wike was assigned Rivers State and the FCT. Soludo was also included in the campaign structure.

The inauguration brought together APC leaders and other political figures who pledged support for Tinubu’s re-election, with speakers emphasising party unity, grassroots mobilisation and a campaign centred on the administration’s record and policies.