The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the ruling party’s forthcoming national convention and congresses will serve as a clear demonstration of its expanding membership, internal growth and increasing diversity following an influx of new members and governors across the country.
Yilwatda made the assertion on Thursday after a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where preparations for the party’s national convention and internal congresses were extensively reviewed alongside key stakeholders within the government and party hierarchy.
Speaking to State House correspondents, the APC chairman explained that the meeting focused on harmonising plans, timelines and expectations ahead of the exercises, with a view to ensuring unity, inclusivity and seamless coordination across all levels of the party’s structure.
According to him, the pre-convention planning process has brought together the party’s national leadership, members of the National Assembly caucus and sub-national leaders in an effort to align strategies and prevent friction as the party prepares for a critical phase in its political calendar.
“It was a brief meeting to review the preparation for the convention and the congresses, so that we can be on one page — the sub-national, the national, the National Assembly and the party,” Yilwatda said.
He noted that synchronising activities across different arms of government and party structures was essential to delivering a credible and transparent process that reflects the party’s current realities.
“We want to ensure inclusivity, both at the national and sub-national levels. I want to carry everybody along in the party,” he added.
Yilwatda further disclosed that the APC’s timetable and planning activities were being deliberately aligned to accommodate its widening political base, stressing that no segment of the party would be marginalised in the course of its growth.
The APC chairman attributed the need for a carefully structured convention to the party’s sustained expansion since President Tinubu assumed office, pointing to the steady influx of new members and governors as evidence of its growing national appeal.
“We have new members who have come in, new governors, new members. The party is expanding every day. We want to ensure that in the course of this growth, everybody and nobody is left behind,” he said.
Since the 2023 general elections, the APC has witnessed a wave of defections from opposition parties, consolidating its dominance across the states and currently controlling 29 of the country’s 36 governorship seats.
Political observers note that the development has reshaped the party’s internal power dynamics, making the forthcoming convention a critical platform for managing interests, integrating new power blocs and reaffirming internal cohesion.
The national convention, slated for March 2026, is widely expected to set the tone for the APC’s internal realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, including decisions on zoning arrangements, leadership composition and the strategic positioning of emerging political actors within the party.
Yilwatda described President Tinubu’s contribution during the meeting as pivotal, praising the President’s political acumen and experience as a driving force behind the party’s recent expansion.
“Mr President is a shrewd politician, very experienced, and his advice was remarkable. The expansion, the growth, is because of his experience and his depth of knowledge in the political cycle,” he said.
