A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Ita Enang, has called on the party’s newly elected National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, to take steps to reposition the party ahead of 2027.
Enang made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
NAN reports that Yilwatda was recently elected to succeed Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, who stepped down from the position, citing health reasons.
Enang, a former Senior Special Assistant to the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, said that Yilwatda’s leadership came at a critical time in the party’s history.
“I welcome the new National Chairman. This is a time when your experience as an engineer is most needed—to re-engineer the internal workings and political direction of the APC,” he said.
Enang acknowledged Yilwatda’s earlier role in strengthening the party in the Northern bloc, describing it as a positive start.
He also advised the chairman to critically examine the events that led to the exit of previous party leaders.
“I urge him to study the history behind the departures of Abdullahi Adamu and Abdullahi Ganduje. Identify the pitfalls, not to remove them, but to avoid them.
“Banana peels do not appear out of nowhere; they are laid when certain missteps occur. The key is to recognise them and not slip,” he said.
The former lawmaker commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as smart and responsive leadership of both the country and the APC.
“President Tinubu is not taking anything or anyone for granted; not the party, not the coalition that brought him to power. His leadership is strategic and I commend him for that,” he said.
Commenting on the emergence of a new coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Enang said that the development offered the APC a strategic advantage.
“The APC should actually celebrate the ADC and other opposition coalitions.
“They serve as early warning systems, exposing public sentiments and opposition strategies that we can now address ahead of time,” he said.
He said that unlike the APC’s surprise emergence in 2015, which caught the then-ruling PDP unprepared, the ADC coalition had revealed its hand too early.
“If the ADC had realised they were doing the APC a favour, they would have held back.
“But by unveiling their agenda early, they have given us time to prepare and respond,” he said.
Enang further urged the APC leadership to maintain internal cohesion by acknowledging long-standing members and equitably distributing roles and opportunities within the party.
“APC must recognise that people now have options. You can not afford to celebrate only newcomers while neglecting those who sustained the party during difficult times.
“There must be a deliberate balance, perhaps a 50-50 or 40-60 sharing formula between legacy members and new entrants when it comes to power, party positions and opportunities,” he said said.
