• We’ll win big in North West, Yilwatda boasts
• Opposition can’t scare me, says Tinubu
By Jude Opara
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has ruled out any automatic ticket for its members who may want to contest for any elective position in 2027.
The National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nantawe Yilwatda who revealed this late on Wednesday during a world press conference said the issue of automatic ticket for members is not being considered; adding that there is the need to make it possible for everybody interested in contesting to do so.
He added that there is no time the party said it will be organizing its primaries using the consensus option.
The APC boss equally rubbished the talks that the ruling party is jittery over the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), adding that contrary to the insinuations, the APC will will even win more votes in the North West, irrespective of the fact that former governors of Kano and Kaduna states, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai have left the party.
“As for your question on whether we are jittery, particularly about the votes from the North West, I can tell you that APC is not. Let us take for instance in Kano, there are three major power blocks comprising majorly the Kwankwaso and Ganduje political blocks.
“The Abdulahi Ganduje block is still very intact apart from our party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election. We currently have two Senators and the other blocks don’t have a single House of Representatives member which leaves the Kwankwaso political blocks vulnerable. The entire political structures of Kwankwaso and that of the Nasir El-Rufai have been weakened to compete against the APC. I can tell you that the APC will win more votes in the North-West in next year’s presidential election that ever before,” Yilwatda said.
He further alleged that the ADC clearly operated against the court judgment by conducting the convention, insisting that it will amount to nothing.
The press conference which also featured the National Secretary of the party, Sen. Ajibola Basiru, addressed a whole lot of issues, including the question whether President Bola Tinubu is dictating to the NWC and the state governors.
Basiru while discussing the convention held by the ADC coalition said: “The Supreme Court ruled recently on the case but what the ADC did in organising a Convention, was clearly against the judgment of the court but they decided to go ahead with what I will call beer parlour gathering.
“The problem with the so called coalition party is that it is infested with virus members. Any political party who does not respect its ideology is bound to continue having challenges. The problem with the ADC is that it does not respect its ideology,” Basiru stated.
Yilwatda equally gave a wild card to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike to join the APC, saying the party will be ready to continue working with him.
However, he added that nobody will compel the former governor of Rivers state to join the ruling party.
