It’s My Job to Weaken Opposition, APC Chairman Declares

The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that he would be happy to cause implosion and division within opposition political parties, admitting that weakening the opposition through political strategy is part of his job. Speaking during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday, May 25, 2026, Yilwatda made the remarks while responding to questions about the state of opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections. In a particularly striking admission, Yilwatda revealed that he actually derives entertainment from watching opposition parties exchange insults and attack one another publicly. “In the last three weeks, the APC is not fighting ADC or NDC. It is NDC versus ADC or ADC versus NDC,” Yilwatda said during the interview. “Actually, I watched with fun all the insults that the ADC is raining on the NDC and the NDC is returning those fireworks on the ADC. I watched the videos, and I laughed.”

According to Yilwatda, the APC is not actively fighting opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress (ADC) or the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Instead, he argued that these parties are battling internal crises of their own making. “You see, the APC is not fighting the African Democratic Congress, ADC, or the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC. They are the ones fighting each other. The self-implosion is in the opposition rather than in the APC.”

When pressed further on whether he was orchestrating the crises rocking opposition parties, Yilwatda offered a candid response that has drawn both criticism and praise from different quarters. “No, I can’t. But I will be happy if I can do it. That’s my job,” Yilwatda stated. He framed his approach as a legitimate political response to opposition activities, arguing that any political party in power would naturally seek to counter those trying to unseat it. “If you are opposing me, should I be happy? If you oppose me because you are in the opposition, what’s my job? Of course, to stop the opposition,” he said. Yilwatda further suggested that the opposition parties are more focused on internal rivalries and conflicts than challenging the APC for the 2027 presidency. “APC is not fighting ADC or NDC. It is NDC vs ADC or ADC vs NDC. The self-implosion is in the opposition rather than in the APC,” he reiterated.

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Beyond his comments about opposition implosion, Yilwatda used the interview to showcase the APC’s internal stability and organisational strength ahead of the 2027 elections. He argued that no political party in Nigeria currently possesses a stronger internal dispute resolution system than the APC. The APC chairman revealed that the party currently has about 12.9 million verified registered members submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), a figure he said reflects the party’s reach, organisation and staying power. “We have about 12.9 million registered voters that we submitted to INEC. If you put all the political parties together, they don’t add up to APC’s registered members,” he stated. According to Yilwatda, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has about 2.4 million registered members, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has 1.6 million, the Labour Party has 1.3 million, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has about 700,000.

Yilwatda further emphasised that the APC is the only political party in Nigeria operating a fully verified membership register through the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC). “To register as a member of the APC, your name and primary data are sourced from NIMC. That’s the same primary data that is used across the country to open a bank account, get a driver’s licence and secure an international passport,” he explained. “So we’re the only political party that sources our primary data from NIMC. This is why people have seen the APC as one of the most politically viable and stable parties. We are a data-driven political party,” he stated.

Yilwatda argued that the APC’s internal stability sets it apart from opposition parties that are “breaking into pieces.” He pointed to the peaceful conduct of the party’s recent primaries as evidence of the APC’s organisational strength. “See how organised the primaries were; almost near rancour-free, no crisis, almost zero incidences in terms of crisis in communities. It shows APC is organised,” Yilwatda stated, referring to the party’s recent presidential primaries. “There’s no party that has a better mechanism for conflict resolution more than our party,” he added. He described the APC as “one of the most prepared political parties” in the country, noting that the party’s congresses and primaries were conducted with almost zero incidences across communities nationwide. “We have one of the most prepared machinery, a political machine that’s prepared for war and can tackle any political opponent at any given time,” he said.

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Yilwatda argued that the APC’s growing electoral strength is evident in the increasing number of governors, lawmakers and political stakeholders who have aligned with the ruling party since the 2023 general elections. “Today, the South-South that was purely with PDP and Obi, all of them are now APC. Even in the North-West, where NNPP and PDP were strong, today they are near zero,” he claimed. He also noted that despite the charges facing some APC members, people were still coming in large numbers to purchase nomination forms. “We did not increase our fees; we maintained them, yet people are coming in droves. We opened up our party. People are not hiding forms—everyone is buying, including the presidential ticket. We have a sitting President, yet people are buying forms to contest against him. We allowed it,” he said.

This is not the first time Yilwatda has made dismissive remarks about opposition parties. In earlier comments reported on May 7, 2026, he taunted opposition parties for “breaking into pieces” and declared that victory for APC in the forthcoming elections would be a landslide. “We are not belittling the opposition, but check what they are doing. Just yesterday, I listened to the fight between opposition leaders—they are breaking into pieces, and I’m sure they will blame us for their internal crisis,” he had said.

Yilwatda’s admission that he would be happy to cause implosion in opposition parties signals a potentially aggressive political strategy by the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections. His comments suggest that the ruling party may adopt tactics aimed at exploiting and deepening existing divisions within opposition ranks. For opposition parties already grappling with leadership crises and logistical challenges, Yilwatda’s remarks add another layer of concern about the fairness of the political playing field as Nigeria approaches the 2027 elections. However, the APC chairman maintains that the party’s stability, data-driven membership system, and internal conflict resolution mechanisms position it as the undisputed frontrunner for the 2027 presidency.

It’s My Job to Weaken Opposition, APC Chairman Declares

‘INEC-Level Logistics’ – ADC Admits It Wasn’t Ready for 2027 Nationwide Primaries

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has openly admitted that it was caught off guard by the sheer scale of logistics required to conduct nationwide primaries ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the process as demanding what it calls “INEC-level logistics.”

In a candid interview on ARISE News, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, confessed that while the ADC anticipated difficulties, the reality of organising a primary election across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory proved far more daunting than initial preparations had accounted for.

“We always knew it was going to be a challenge because it requires an INEC-level logistics to be able to do a nationwide election,” Abdullahi said. “And I must admit that it came to us more or less as a curveball; we weren’t prepared to do this. But when INEC imposed it on us as the only option aside from the consensus, then we had no choice but to brace up for it.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revised its electoral guidelines ahead of the 2027 general elections, mandating that all political parties conduct direct or indirect primaries to nominate candidates—leaving consensus as the only alternative. According to Abdullahi, the ADC had hoped to lean heavily on internal consensus-building to avoid the logistical nightmare of a nationwide vote. However, when those consensus talks among the party’s presidential aspirants failed to produce a unanimous agreement, the ADC was forced to pivot to a full-scale primary. This shift, Abdullahi admitted, exposed significant gaps in the party’s organisational capacity. “It came to us more or less as a curveball,” he repeated for emphasis, underscoring how unprepared the opposition party was for the magnitude of the task.

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Rejecting suggestions that the party’s consensus arrangement had completely collapsed, Abdullahi provided a more nuanced explanation. He noted that even when a consensus is reached among aspirants, the Electoral Act still requires a national convention to formally affirm the outcome. “I would not use the word ‘collapse’ because it has its own dynamics. When you broker a consensus, it would still require you to do a convention to affirm the outcome of the consensus,” he stated. But he added a critical complication: “Some of the court situations that we have at the moment do not allow us to hold a convention.”

That court situation refers to the ongoing leadership crisis that has plagued the ADC. INEC had previously withdrawn recognition of the party’s leadership factions, citing a subsisting court order. The Commission refused to recognise either the faction led by Senator David Mark or the rival Nafiu Bala Gombe faction, leaving the party in a state of legal limbo. Despite this, Abdullahi maintained faith in the judiciary. “Regardless of what has happened in Nigeria, we still have confidence in the judiciary. We believe we have a slam-dunk case,” he told Channels Television’s Politics Today.

The ADC’s 2027 presidential primary has reportedly drawn three heavyweight contenders: former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and prominent businessman and economist Hayatu-Deen Mohammed. What initially appeared to be a quiet attempt by influential stakeholders to produce a consensus candidate has since evolved into a full-scale political battle. Multiple meetings aimed at persuading one or two aspirants to step down have ended without resolution, forcing the party into the very nationwide primary it had hoped to avoid. Nevertheless, Abdullahi dismissed fears that the outcome could tear the African Democratic Congress apart. He noted that all three aspirants had committed to submitting themselves to the process. “The three gentlemen have committed to submit themselves to the primaries. We pride ourselves in the systems that we have put in place. And so far, we’ve not received any serious complaints about anything untoward,” he said.

Abdullahi took time to explain the ADC’s internal political culture, positioning it as fundamentally different from Nigeria’s dominant parties. He said the ADC deliberately avoids imposition, preferring persuasion, negotiation and debate. “The ADC is a party that prides itself in contestation, internal contestation of ideas, of positions. We don’t impose. In the ADC, we don’t direct, we don’t tell people what to do. We discuss, we negotiate, and we argue until we agree,” he explained. He acknowledged that this approach can make the party’s processes more difficult and time-consuming, but insisted it reflects the kind of political culture the ADC wants to present to Nigerians—one built on internal democracy rather than top-down directives.

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According to Abdullahi, the ADC should not be judged solely by the individual ambitions of its aspirants, but by its manifesto, ethical code, and internal principles. He revealed that all aspirants were required to sign up to the party’s ethical standards during screening. “The ADC is being deliberately designed as a party that is able to impose its authority on its members at all levels. We have our manifesto, we have our ethical principles and philosophy that each of these leaders, each of these aspirants at the point of screening had to sign, committing themselves to the ethical principles of the ADC,” he said. He also dismissed claims of a faction within the party, arguing that the term ‘faction’ carries specific legal and technical requirements that have not been met. “Faction is a technical term. For you to call a group of people a faction within a whole, certain qualities, certain qualifications, certain criteria have to be met,” Abdullahi said.

Looking beyond the primary process, Abdullahi outlined the party’s governance vision for 2027 and beyond. He said an ADC-led government would place citizens, not market forces, at the centre of governance. “We will put the people first. Every single policy of our government would be guided by one single question: How does it improve the livelihood of the people? How does it protect the people, and how does it make them live a better life? That’s the difference,” he assured. This vision aligns with a comprehensive governance blueprint recently unveiled by the ADC, which includes a “zero-impunity” governance model built on the rule of law, accountability, and performance audits; a shift away from Nigeria’s oil-reliant structure toward a production-driven economy; treating food security as a national security priority; declaring a state of emergency in education; and a multi-layered security framework combining local intelligence, decentralised policing, and national coordination.

Despite the ongoing leadership crisis and logistical challenges, Abdullahi reaffirmed the party’s determination to participate in the 2027 general election. He insisted that INEC’s derecognition of the party’s leadership will not derail its plans. “One thing I can guarantee is that we will contest the 2027 election on the ADC platform,” he said. He then levelled a sharp accusation against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging they are attempting to weaken opposition parties in pursuit of a one-party state. “We in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) are saying that Nigeria will not become a one-party state in our generation. We will do everything within the law to resist it,” he said.

‘INEC-Level Logistics’ – ADC Admits It Wasn’t Ready for 2027 Nationwide Primaries

Atiku, Amaechi in Fierce Contest as ADC Picks Presidential Candidate Today

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Monday commenced its much-anticipated presidential primary election to select its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, setting the stage for a major political showdown among former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, and former banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.

The primary, which is being conducted across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, comes after failed consensus talks among party stakeholders. Efforts by the party leadership to produce a single candidate reportedly collapsed after all three aspirants declined to step down, forcing the party to adopt the direct primary system in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

The outcome of today’s exercise is expected to shape the future of the opposition coalition and determine who will carry the ADC’s flag into the high-stakes 2027 general election against President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Political analysts believe Atiku Abubakar enters the race as the leading contender due to his deep political structure, nationwide visibility, and decades of electoral experience. Since leaving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in late 2025, Atiku has played a central role in building the ADC as a formidable opposition platform. Working alongside former Senate President David Mark and ex-Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola, he has pushed for a broad-based opposition alliance to challenge President Tinubu in 2027.

Analysts say Atiku’s strongest advantage lies in his vast political network and his ability to mobilise delegates across regional blocs. However, his candidacy has also sparked debate within the party, with critics arguing that Nigeria may need a younger face and a fresh political direction after decades of recurring presidential bids.

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Former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi is widely regarded as Atiku’s biggest challenger. The former transportation minister has built his campaign around his record in public service, particularly his role in expanding Nigeria’s railway infrastructure under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Amaechi’s supporters insist that the presidency should remain in the South in line with Nigeria’s informal zoning arrangement. They argue that his governance record, especially his performance as Rivers governor, gives him stronger reform credentials than his rivals. Amaechi has also repeatedly dismissed speculation that he could settle for a vice-presidential slot, insisting he is fully in the race to clinch the ADC ticket.

Despite his influence in southern political circles, analysts say his biggest hurdle remains expanding his support beyond his traditional power base to compete with Atiku’s nationwide political machinery.

For Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, today’s primary represents an opportunity to offer a technocratic alternative to Nigeria’s traditional political establishment. The economist and former banking executive has anchored his campaign on economic recovery, job creation, institutional reforms, and governance accountability.

He has consistently urged ADC members to reject what he described as “recycled politics,” insisting that competence and policy expertise should define the party’s choice. Hayatu-Deen recently gained momentum after securing the endorsement of the ADC South-West Professionals Forum, which described him as the aspirant best positioned to tackle Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis.

However, while his policy-driven campaign has attracted intellectual and professional support, political analysts say he still faces a major challenge in building the grassroots structure needed to defeat two established political heavyweights.

Today’s ADC presidential primary is widely viewed as a major test of the party’s internal democracy and ability to manage competing ambitions within its expanding opposition coalition. The winner will immediately face the task of uniting supporters of the defeated aspirants and presenting a formidable challenge in the 2027 presidential race.

Political stakeholders say the credibility of today’s process could significantly influence the ADC’s standing as a serious alternative platform for Nigerians seeking change in the next election cycle. With voting underway, attention now turns to whether the party will emerge stronger and more united after one of the most consequential opposition primaries in recent Nigerian political history.

Atiku, Amaechi in Fierce Contest as ADC Picks Presidential Candidate Today