The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Nentawe Yilwatda says the party is working with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike based on an agreement with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Chairman Yilwatda spoke on Tuesday in Abuja after a meeting with party stakeholders following disputes from ongoing congresses in the FCT.
Explaining the arrangement, he said, “It is the PDP. Wike wrote to the National Working Committee of the PDP in 2023, and it approved his collaboration with the APC as a minister. So it was the PDP that approved, not the APC.”
He said Minister Wike remains a member of the PDP and does not take part in APC decisions.
“The FCT minister is not a member of the APC. We have never consulted him on party matters,” he added, noting that the minister was not invited to the stakeholders’ meeting.
Yilwatda expressed concern over disagreements between long-standing members of the APC in the FCT and new entrants from the PDP. He warned that those who joined the party should not take over its structure.
“The people who decamped should not come and take over the party. They should come knowing that there are people who were already at the party. It is a home that we built. If the house were not built, nobody would come,” he said.
He urged existing members not to leave the party due to pressure from new members.
Yilwatda said more than N250 million has been set aside for ward and state congresses in the FCT and called for unity as the party prepares for the 2027 general elections.
He said positions in the party and in government should be shared to allow participation across groups.
“We must have everybody included. There will be a sharing formula that will ensure that all members of the legacy group and defectors are properly carried along,” he said.
Yilwatda said a committee led by the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs Zephaniah Jisalo carried out zoning for the FCT and that its recommendations were followed.
He also said the party would enforce its constitution during the congresses. “If you are in the opposition, you must provide a resignation letter and evidence of its acceptance by your party chairman. This is very important,” he said.
Yilwatda added that members who have held the same office for eight years should step down or move to another role.
On inclusion, he said, “We must accommodate all tribes… It gives a sense of belonging.” He also called for the participation of women and youths in party leadership.
