The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has come out to say that his predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje, is the co-chairman of the ruling party.
He recently revealed that he intends to rely on Ganduje’s experience and guidance throughout his tenure as APC chairman.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday during a condolence visit by Ganduje over the death of his mother, Yilwatda shared that he’ll depend on his predecessor’s political networks to strengthen the APC.
According to him, his office will never be closed to Abdullahi Ganduje because President Tinubu specifically told him to collaborate with him to move the party forward.
He stated that APC belongs to every party member, and his role is mainly to coordinate its affairs.
“My doors are open, the office is open, the partnership remains open, and the friendship remains open. So never lock your door against me, and I know you will not because we have worked together long before this time.
His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked me to work with you, to reach out to you as well about partnership. I told him I would regard you still as a Chairman in partnership with me. You are still the co-Chairman of the party (APC).
I am only a coordinator. My duty is simply to coordinate the membership of this party. But the party belongs to all of us.
We are all collective leaders of the party. Moreover, by experience and by virtue of politics, you have been there long before me. Since the time of the NPN, you have been part of the political scene,” he said.
Nentawe Yilwatda further noted that benefitting from Ganduje’s wise counsel is a privilege because he has seen it all as a Nigerian politician.
He hailed the former APC chairman for mastering the ropes of politics, stressing that he is the best person to put him through.
“At that time, I was only in primary school. I recall that we used to see Governor Rimi come to Jos in the 70s and 80s to visit Solomon Lar. One day, he came to commission a project at my school.
I was just in Form 2, waving at them along with my classmates — I never knew what politics truly meant. By then, people like you had already mastered the ropes of politics, while we didn’t even know the definition of politics.
So I need your experience. I need your guidance. The learning curve still rests with you.
I will depend heavily on your experience, your connections, and your contacts to ensure we solidify this party and build it together, so that we can win more elections,” he added.
