By Our Correspondent
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has expressed confidence that Plateau State will deliver more than one million votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections, attributing the projection to the party’s strengthened structure and the collapse of opposition forces in the state.
Yilwatda made the declaration on Tuesday during an APC stakeholders’ meeting for the Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam (PKK) Federal Constituency held at MNS Resort Hotel in Pankshin.
He said the APC is now significantly stronger in Plateau than it was in 2023, noting that political actors who previously opposed the party have since joined its fold.
“All the stumbling blocks we had in 2023 are no longer there. Those who opposed us then have joined us now, including the Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, commissioners, local government chairmen and other political appointees,” Yilwatda said.
Describing PKK as a traditional stronghold of the APC, he recalled that President Tinubu recorded some of his highest votes in the constituency during the 2023 presidential election.
“Out of the three local governments in PKK, President Tinubu won two. The Senate seats were APC, the House of Representatives was APC, and most members of the Plateau State House of Assembly were APC. APC has always been PKK, and PKK has always been APC,” he stated.
The APC chairman said the party, which previously faced stiff opposition in the state, now enjoys a united and cohesive political front.
“Come 2027, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will pull some of his highest votes here, both in numbers and in percentage.
There is no ward or polling unit in PKK that we will not win. Politics is a game of numbers, and our target is over one million votes,” he declared.
Yilwatda attributed the party’s growing numerical strength to the influx of key political leaders across the state.
“Today, we have the governor, the National Chairman, all members of the House of Representatives, all members of the House of Assembly minus one, all senators minus one, commissioners, councillors and local government chairmen. At both state and federal levels, we are now one family,” he said.
He also announced an end to public criticism of Governor Mutfwang, noting that party unity now allows for constructive engagement.
“I will no longer criticise from outside. Now I have access. If the government gets it wrong, I can engage directly and discuss how to do better. That is the right way to build governance,” he explained.
Addressing concerns over the influx of new members, Yilwatda assured party faithful that the APC structure would not be hijacked.
“Nobody is coming to take over this party. There are many rooms and many chairs. APC gives equal rights and privileges to everyone, whether you joined today or ten years ago,” he said.
He urged party leaders at ward and local government levels to warmly receive new members defecting from the PDP and other parties.
“Go back to your wards. Welcome them. Celebrate them. This party is not for one group alone,” he added.
Yilwatda further highlighted reforms under his leadership, including digital membership registration, expansion of the party’s electoral dominance nationwide, and plans for a new APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
“Today, we have over 100 senators, nearly 300 members of the House of Representatives and 29 governors. When I became chairman, Plateau was PDP. Today, Plateau is APC,” he said.
Speaking at the event, Senator Diket Plang of Plateau Central, the member representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, and the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Na’anlong Daniel, commended Yilwatda’s leadership and pledged loyalty to President Tinubu, Governor Mutfwang and the APC.
They assured that Plateau would deliver its highest-ever vote tally for the APC in 2027, describing the state as the home base of the party’s national chairman.
Also speaking on behalf of APC elders, Professor Saleh Kanam, alongside commissioners Hon. Ephraim Usman and council chairman Hon. Lapchin Golime, reaffirmed their unwavering loyalty to the party.
The stakeholders’ meeting attracted a large turnout of party officials at state and local government levels, including youths, women, ward chairmen, local government chairmen, former national and state assembly members, former commissioners, and former local government chairmen and councillors from Pankshin, Kanke and Kanam local government areas.
