The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a formidable opposition force ahead of the 2027 general elections, asserting that the ruling APC far outmatches it in strength, structure, and influence.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television's Politics Today program on Tuesday, Yilwatda described the ADC now serving as the platform for an opposition coalition as lacking the capacity to challenge the APC effectively.
"ADC is not a match at all (for the APC). For every one person they have, we have five, six of them," Yilwatda stated confidently.
He pointed to the disparity in political heavyweights, noting that while the ADC boasts former Senate President David Mark as its national chairman, the APC counters with former Senate President Ahmad Lawan and two other former Senate Presidents from the South East.
Yilwatda downplayed the significance of prominent opposition figures associated with the ADC coalition, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
He insisted the APC is not "jittery" about these individuals and emphasized that the ruling party continues to attract defectors, including opposition governors, due to its appeal and performance.
The APC chairman also rejected claims that the ruling party is aggressively recruiting civil servants through coercion, challenging critics to provide evidence.
"We have never asked anybody, we have never appealed to any civil servant. Nobody has forced any civil servant... you can bring one video to that effect and I will apologise," he said, suggesting that any such pressures might be coming from the opposition side.
Yilwatda highlighted the APC's social intervention programs as key strengths, including the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which has benefited over a million students by covering tuition fees and providing a monthly stipend of N20,000.
He described the initiative as a broad social protection measure supporting struggling households, parents, and even enabling students to assist their families or invest in small ventures like farming.
Additionally, he referenced other welfare efforts, such as health insurance covering 4 to 5 million Nigerians, positioning these as factors bolstering the APC's popularity and electoral prospects.
The ADC has emerged as the adopted platform for a coalition of opposition politicians aiming to unseat the APC in 2027, but Yilwatda's comments reflect the ruling party's growing confidence amid ongoing political realignments and defections in Nigeria's political landscape.
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