Nigeria’s APC says nationwide structures are ready for 2027 elections

Nigeria’s All Progressives Congress says it is prepared for the 2027 general elections after reviewing its structures across the country, the party’s national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, said. Yilwatda made the declaration at a news conference in Maiduguri on Saturday, following a three-day retreat of the party’s National Working Committee. He said the review covered structures at national, state, local government and ward levels, as well as polling units.

The chairman described the outcome as a clean bill of health and said the committee considered the APC strong and ready for the elections. He also said the NWC passed a vote of confidence in President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and other candidates who emerged from the party’s primary elections. Yilwatda said the party would intensify reconciliation efforts at state, local government and ward levels to address internal disagreements.

He urged chapters that had not established reconciliation committees to create them, saying the bodies would help consolidate the party ahead of the elections. The NWC plans to take an active role in engagements and campaign activities designed to explain the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration to Nigerians, he said. Yilwatda also said the committee had reviewed recent off-cycle and by-elections and was satisfied with the APC’s performance.

He cited victories in Ogun and Delta, states where he said the party had previously not won elections. According to the chairman, the APC won four of five elections held the previous week and lost one, although he described its showing in the defeat as strong. He thanked Borno State for hosting the retreat and expressed condolences to Niger over the deaths of 37 miners.