The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that opposition figures Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr Peter Obi, Mr Donald Duke and Engr Seyi Makinde cannot match President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.
Yilwatda made the declaration on Thursday while receiving the Forum of APC House of Representatives Aspirants, led by Danjuma Mohammed, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
He argued that Tinubu’s record in infrastructure development and institutional building placed him ahead of other potential presidential contenders.
“No political party, as it stands today, has a more credible candidate than President Bola Tinubu. We have facts, we have records that if we put them vis-à-vis any other candidate that is on this ballot, none matches our own candidate,” he said.
The APC chairman criticised previous administrations over road construction, questioning the impact of a N300 billion road budget released during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, when Atiku Abubakar served as vice president.
He challenged the opposition to identify a 500-kilometre road constructed with the funds, arguing that the Tinubu administration had delivered or commenced several major road projects within three years.
Yilwatda cited the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highway and the proposed Trans-Sahara Superhighway among the projects he said demonstrated the administration’s performance. He also highlighted the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline, noting its potential to supply gas for fertiliser production, compressed natural gas, electricity generation, homes and industries.
On education, Yilwatda defended the federal government’s student loan scheme and monthly upkeep support, dismissing criticism of the N20,000 assistance reportedly received by students.
The former university lecturer said he had witnessed students abandon their studies because they could not afford school fees, adding that the financial support could help students meet basic needs and develop small businesses.
He illustrated his point with the example of a student who reportedly saved part of the monthly allowance to buy a second-hand refrigerator and start selling iced fish to fellow students.
Yilwatda also accused critics of overlooking the benefits of the student loan scheme while operating private universities that charge substantial tuition fees. He argued that students in those institutions could also benefit from the scheme.
Earlier, Mohammed said the forum was established in 2022 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unite aspirants who participated in the party’s primaries but did not secure tickets.
He explained that the group initially mobilised support for Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, but that subsequent political developments had led many members to join the APC.
Mohammed said the forum now supported Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for a second term, adding that its membership extended across Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies.
He stressed that the group was not seeking to create a parallel party structure or undermine existing APC organs.
The forum also requested the party’s support for producing and distributing campaign materials in major Nigerian languages across different media platforms. It proposed political conferences across the six geopolitical zones to strengthen its mobilisation efforts.
Responding, Yilwatda assured the aspirants of the party’s support, promising to connect them with the relevant directorate to facilitate their activities.
He urged members not to be discouraged by electoral setbacks, citing his own unsuccessful governorship bid in Plateau State and subsequent Supreme Court challenge as examples of the need for continued commitment to the party.
Yilwatda said the APC had more than 261,000 executive members and called for stronger collaboration to translate the party’s numerical strength into electoral victory in 2027.
