The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has told the party’s Presidential Campaign Council to acknowledge the challenges facing the Federal Government while it makes the case for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Yilwatda spoke on Wednesday in his welcome address at the inauguration of the council at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“We have made so much progress but must acknowledge where we have challenges while explaining the objectives, progress and continuing work of the administration,” he said.
He explained that the party’s campaign would rest on “a clear record, an honest assessment of the challenges and a credible vision for the future”.
Yilwatda noted that the APC would ask Nigerians to support Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 because “the administration’s reform agenda and development priorities deserve continued consideration and the opportunity to deliver further results.”
The council’s task, he said, was to make that case “convincingly with evidence of progress, a clear explanation of our policies and a practical account of what remains to be achieved”.
He argued that the campaign should engage citizens on the issues that matter most to them such as the cost of living, security, jobs, education, healthcare, agricultural productivity and economic opportunity.
Yilwatda urged campaigners to explain how the administration intended to address those concerns and “listen carefully to the expectations Nigerians place before us”.
The chairman said that under Tinubu, the administration had pursued major economic reforms that addressed longstanding structural challenges and laid “a stronger foundation for sustainable growth”.
He asked the council to communicate the importance of the infrastructure the government had built, including “roads, power projects, gas projects, railways, ports, agricultural infrastructure and digital connectivity”.
These investments, he said, were essential to productivity, commerce, employment and national development.
“Our responsibility is to explain clearly what has been completed, what is progressing and what remains to be done.
“We must show Nigerians how these investments and reforms can translate into practical improvements in their daily lives,” he said.
Yilwatda acknowledged the opposition’s “legitimate role in our democracy” and said the election should be “a contest of ideas, records and policies, conducted peacefully and with respect for the Nigerian people”.
“The APC will present its case with confidence, defend its record with facts and trust Nigerians to make their choice through a credible democratic process,” he said.
He told party members that every level of the APC mattered, from national leadership to state chapters, local government structures and ward members.
The council, he said, must provide direction, coordination and clear responsibilities, and governors, legislators, party leaders and campaign officials must work together.
He called for women’s “meaningful participation and leadership” in the campaign.
To young Nigerians, he said the party must engage them “as partners in shaping Nigeria, not merely as participants during election campaigns”.
For persons with disabilities, the APC Chairman said campaign activities should be accessible and inclusive.
“No Nigerian should be made to feel that a disability diminishes their place in our democracy,” he said, adding, “Confidence is not complacency. It is the determination to prepare thoroughly, work together and earn the trust of the people.”
He said the National Working Committee would work with the council and all party structures.
“We have a vision to communicate, a future to build and the confidence of Nigerians to earn,” he stated.
The APC named the council on August 22 with Tinubu as chairman, Vice President Kashim Shettima as vice chairman, former Zamfara State governor Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as Secretary. Yilwatda is an additional vice chairman.
Yari had announced that the party’s campaign will be flagged off in Kaduna on October 24, followed by Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Maiduguri, Borno State.
The presidential election is on January 16, 2027.
Among those present at the inauguration were Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.