Why APC lost 2023 election in Plateau — Group

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has attributed the party’s loss in the 2023 general election in Plateau State to what it described as the poor performance and disconnect of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda.

The APC Forum reacted to comments made by Yilwatda on Arise TV on Friday.

It would be recalled that the APC Forum had criticised the minister’s response to humanitarian issues in the country, particularly the displacement of hundreds of people in Plateau State due to herdsmen attacks.

The Forum stated that the minister, who hails from Plateau State, had not made an impact on the crisis and accused him of failing to visit the affected communities and the locations where victims were taking shelter.

Responding in an interview on Arise TV, Yilwatda dismissed the North-Central APC Forum as an unrecognised entity and questioned the membership of the group.

Questioning the commitment of the Forum’s chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, to the APC, he accused the group of attacking him the same way it attacked other leaders of the party—including National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.

However, in a statement on Sunday, the North-Central APC Forum said it was unfortunate that Yilwatda had interpreted its advice on the humanitarian crisis in Plateau and similar issues elsewhere as an attack.

Insisting that its earlier statement was purely advisory, the Forum noted that Yilwatda’s refusal to heed advice had contributed to the APC’s defeat in Plateau in 2023.

Yilwatda was the APC’s governorship candidate in that election but lost to Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The APC also lost Plateau in the presidential election, with Peter Obi of the Labour Party emerging victorious in the state.

The North-Central APC Forum, in the statement signed by Zazzaga, said:

“Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda said we attacked him. That is absolutely not true. As committed stakeholders of the APC in the North-Central, we advised him to put in more effort at addressing humanitarian challenges in the region, especially the displacement of thousands of people in Plateau, his home state. We felt it was necessary that we speak out because of the travails of our people who have been left helpless and hopeless, without any assistance, after being displaced from their homes.

“We offered the advise because we understand that he is relatively new in the political system, so those of us who have been in the system for long felt obligated to help out in the way we can. It was an advise and not an attack as he wrongfully interpreted.

“APC lost the governorship election in Plateau State in the 2023 because Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, as the party candidate, refused to listen to advise.

“One of the reasons APC lost both presidential and governorship election in Plateau was because he instructed his associates to vote for Labour Party in the presidential election.

“He wanted to take advantage of the Peter Obi movement, that was why his aides and supporters were saying vote for Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda and Peter Obi. If you check the records you will see that Peter Obi won in the polling units of all his major associates and aides. In his own polling unit, ward and local government, APC won because he was contesting but he lost the election because he diverted the attention of his loyalists. That is why APC lost the governorship and presidential elections in Plateau State.”

The Forum argued that Yilwatda’s emergence as the APC candidate in the 2023 governorship primaries did not reflect the wishes of most party members, stating that he became the candidate because he was favoured by certain party leaders in the state.

“Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda did not enjoy the wide acceptance of the people and this contributed to what happened in the election,” the statement observed.

The Forum stressed that it is a recognised entity within the APC, contrary to the minister’s claims.

“The North-Central APC Forum has its structure in the entire region with membership cutting across various sectors. We have former senators and members of the House of Representatives, former commissioners, professors, activists, entrepreneurs, traditional and religious leaders and others as members.

“The Forum was registered since 2018, during the leadership of Senator Adams Oshiomhole. We have our certificate as a support group.

“Prof. Yilwatda said we attacked APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and the SGF, Senator George Akume.

“To put the records straight, we did not attack Ganduje, rather we agitated for somebody from the North-Central to take up the position of National Chairman because as at then, the position was zoned to the North-Central.

“It is also on the record that after we assessed his performance and found that Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje has displayed the capacity to lead the party, we dropped the agitation for his removal, even before the National Executive Committee ratified his appointment as National Chairman.

“We should also not fail to point out that while we were agitating that the National Chairman should come from the North-Central, party leaders like the Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda were supporting us.

“They were the ones positioning themselves and lobbying to replace Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje as APC National Chairman.

“We advised the SGF, Senator George Akume to carry all stakeholders along as the leader of the North-Central and he listened to us and adopted our suggestions. Now we are working with him, as our leader and father, for the good of the North-Central APC.

“We have no problem with Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje and Senator George Akume, as Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda wrongfully suggested.”

Chairman of the Forum, Zazzaga, in the statement, faulted Yilwatda for questioning his commitment to the party.

“Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda said he don’t know if I am a member of the APC. That is not true. He knows very well that I served as a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the 2023 election.

“He himself (Nentawe Yilwatda) appointed me a member of the fund raising committee of his governorship campaign. The records are there. In fact I served in three committees of his governorship campaign. So there’s no way he can say he don’t know if I am a member of the APC or not.

“Beyond Plateau State, at the national level, I have also served in different capacities for the APC. I was a member of the Presidential Campaign Council, I was a member of the governorship campaign council in Ondo State, I was also a member of the delegation from the national headquarters for the APC primary election in Anambra State.

“I was a delegate at the recent APC National Summit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where we endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

“They have tried to suspend me from the ward but they failed because the ward asserted that I am a full member of the party,” the statement said.

The North-Central APC Forum also withdrew the ultimatum it issued to the Rufus Bature-led executive committee of the APC in Plateau State.

The Forum had given the EXCO seven days to set up a reconciliation committee and allow individuals from other political parties to join the APC in the state.

It apologised for the “misinformation and miscommunication” that led to the ultimatum.

However, the Forum insisted that it would continue to push for Governor Caleb Mutfwang to join the APC.

“We will continue our agitation for Governor Caleb Mutfwang to return to APC because he has more experience and acceptability in the political space of Plateau State,” the statement concluded.

ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE