Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the newly appointed National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu personally instructed him to make bold decisions as he assumes leadership of Nigeria’s ruling party.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the former INEC commissioner said his calm and quiet personality should not be mistaken for weakness.
“Look at Mr. President, soft, calm, and gentle, but he’s making hard decisions. He told me directly: Take tough decisions, but do it with a gentle tone,” Yilwatda said.
Though APC holds no gubernatorial seat in his home state of Plateau, Yilwatda said he was endorsed unanimously by party governors, describing the process as seamless and rooted in deep consultations.
“This party is built on dialogue. Politics is about consultation. That’s how I emerged through engagement, not imposition,” he noted.
He stressed that his role will be largely coordinative, not authoritarian, citing the party’s structure, which begins at the ward level and is controlled by governors and state chairmen.
“It’s our party. My job is coordinating between national and sub-national levels,” he added.
