A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Yekini Nabena, on Wednesday cautioned the National Working Committee led by Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda against ceding party structures to incumbent governors ahead of the party’s nationwide congresses.
The APC is preparing to conduct ward, local government and state congresses — exercises that will determine the leadership structure of the party at the grassroots and state levels ahead of the 2027 general elections.
But Nabena, a chieftain of the party from Bayelsa State, warned that allowing governors to take control of the structures could trigger an internal crisis and further shrink the party’s support base.
In a statement issued in Abuja, he said handing over party structures from the wards to the state level to governors would “breed resentment, deprive real party men and women, and eventually chase away the few remaining masses in the APC.”
He warned that “the 2027 general elections are about the masses against the few people in the corridors of power, hence the masses must be carried along.”
According to him, information from the APC national secretariat suggests that the current NWC is preparing to hand over structures to governors in their respective states.
He said, “We will not be surprised if this prediction comes true because the National Chairman himself and more than half of the entire NWC didn’t go through the election. They were appointed. So, what do you expect?”
Nabena urged the NWC to ensure transparency by making nomination forms available to all aspirants at every level to avoid friction and litigation across the states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the current NWC members required proper guidance because “many of them did not know what it takes to contest and win an election into the position they are currently”.
“As the party prepares for congresses, the report we are getting is that all the nomination forms are being delivered to the Governors – who will eventually determine who becomes what by selection. This will not end well. In fact, it will be the beginning of an internal crisis which may lead to implosion.
“I think this move should be avoided now before it is too late. So, I appeal to our National Working Committee led by Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda to do the right thing now before it is too late.
“It is also important that the elders and leaders of our party speak up now by calling the NWC members to order so that they won’t proceed in error.”
The former APC spokesman also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene to forestall what he described as a looming internal implosion.
“So, my appeal to the NWC is that they should not chase away the remaining masses we have in the party. APC used to have about 40 million registered members but now we are struggling to get 10 million registered members in the ongoing electronic registration.
“This calls for caution and we must be wise to do the right thing now,” he said.
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