The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed the electoral threat posed by the Africa Democratic Party (ADC) and other opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, citing the recent victory of the APC in the local government area where former Vice President Atiku Abubakar hails from.
Yilwatda said the APC won a recent by-election in Ganye Local Government Area of Adamawa State, despite the area being associated with Atiku, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress.
He made the remarks on Saturday while briefing journalists at the end of a three-day APC retreat in Maiduguri, Borno State.
The retreat was attended by members of the party’s National Working Committee, elected National Executive Committee members and state chairmen.
Yilwatda said the outcome of recent elections showed that the APC remained strongly positioned ahead of 2027, dismissing the suggestion that emerging opposition platforms such as the ADC and Nigeria Democratic Congress posed a major challenge to the ruling party.
“Even last week, we had a by-election in Adamawa, in Ganye local government, where Atiku comes from, and we won the election. We are very grounded, and I doubt if any party can challenge us,” he said.
The APC chairman also cited the party’s performance in five recent by-elections across the country, saying it won four of the contests and lost one to the Allied Peoples Movement.
According to him, the APC’s defeats and victories in recent polls did not support the narrative of an opposition surge, particularly by the ADC and NDC.
“We went to Ekiti and came first; the party that came second was the PDP, not the so-called opposition. We went to Osun and we became second, none of those political parties you claimed won even a councillorship,” he said.
Yilwatda therefore described the opposition parties as participants in the 2027 election rather than serious contenders against the APC.
“So if they can’t even win a councillorship, are we contesting against them? As far as I am concerned, they are participants in this election, not contesting with us,” he said.
He said the ruling party was already preparing for the 2027 election and expressed confidence in its ability to retain power.
“We are very confident that our party can win this election; we are prepared to win the 2027 election,” Yilwatda said.
The APC chairman also referenced the party’s performances in recent legislative contests in Kano, Bauchi and Gombe, arguing that the results demonstrated the party’s continued strength beyond its traditional strongholds.
He maintained that media reports about the growing influence of opposition parties did not reflect what the APC was seeing at the grassroots.
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