A Chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) from Kogi State, Hon. Michael Ogbodo, has described as ridiculous and unreasonable the call by a group known as All Progressives Congress Youth Solidarity Network (APC-YSN) for the resignation of Professor Nentanwe Yilwatda as the national chairman of the country’s ruling party.
The APC-YSN had few days ago given the APC national chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, a two-week ultimatum to resign, warning that his failure to heed their demand would lead to a massive protest at the APC National Secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The group accused Yilwatda of failing the leadership test, claiming that the party’s popularity was dwindling across the country under his watch. The APC-YSN also alleged that the APC national chairman was blocking the defection of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang to APC.
However, Hon Ogbodo, a one-time House of Assembly aspirant and respected politician from Ogori/Magongo Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State, condemned the said call for Professor Yilwatda’s resignation, maintaining that the national chairman has demonstrated astute leadership and unalloyed commitment to repositioning the party for greater performance.
The APC stalwart, a former legislative aide at the National Assembly, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja, said: “I join other members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), to condemn in its entirety the purported call for the resignation of our national chairman, Professor Nentanwe Yilwatda.
“It is laughable and preposterous for anyone or group of persons within the APC fold to begin to call for the resignation of a man whose emergence at the party’s 14th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in July, was widely hailed by members and non-members of the APC family across Nigeria and has hit the ground running by immediately putting in place necessary machineries to rebuild the party.
“Yilwatda, an erstwhile APC governorship candidate in Plateau State, a quintessential democrat, renowned technocrat and consummate politician, has all it takes to effectively lead the APC on the path of victory even as the 2027 General Election continues to inch closer. He is seen to be working hard with great vigour and vibrancy to further strengthen the APC as the biggest party on the African continent. Therefore, no true APC member should be asking the national chairman to resign at this time. Resign for what?
“Honestly, what the APC national chairman needs at this point in time is the support and cooperation of all members to take the party to greater heights. No faithful member of the party should allow himself or herself to be used to create unnecessary tension in the party and cause needless distraction for the national chairman whose main focus has been on how to further grow and solidify the party.
“All these baseless allegations and call for resignation of a leader that is evidently leading well cannot help in building our party. How can anyone believe the claim by the All Progressives Congress Youth Solidarity Network (APC-YSN) that the same man who has been consulting widely to bring more governors from other political parties to APC since he assumed office is blocking a governor from joining the APC.
“Within this period of three months or thereabout that he has spent in office, two governors from the opposition – Enugu and Bayelsa governors – have joined the APC. Taraba governor is set to join. So, I do not think that the APC national chairman who is working tirelessly to get more governors, top political figures and many more Nigerians to join our party will for any reason block the defection of a governor to our party.”