By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has charged party leaders and members in Lagos State to ensure the victory of President Bola Tinubu, the party’s governorship candidate, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, and all its candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda gave the charge on Monday at a one-day retreat for leaders and senior members of the PBAT-KOH Campaign Council, held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.
The retreat, themed “One Roof, One Tent, One Friend, One Shared Responsibility,” focused on party unity, reconciliation, grassroots mobilisation and preparations for the forthcoming elections.
The APC national chairman said all party leaders, political appointees and structures must work towards a common goal, warning against placing personal interests above the party’s collective ambition.
“When we say we have one team, we simply mean that every leader, every appointee, every party structure must walk towards the bigger mission and vision of the party to win an election.
“Anything outside that is personal interest. No single individual, regardless of how influential, can win an election,” he said.
Yilwatda said his visit to Lagos was strategic because of the state’s large voting population and the APC’s loss in the state during the 2023 presidential election.
“Lagos has over seven million registered voters. It is the centre of commerce, the political nerve of this country. If you win Lagos, you almost won Nigeria. If Lagos speaks, Nigeria speaks,” he said.
He added: “Secondly, I’m here because last election we lost Lagos. So I want to speak to Lagosians. This time around, it is our time to deliver Lagos. First to Mr President, and then deliver our Governor, and deliver all our National Assembly members and House of Assembly members. This is a must-do for us.”
The national chairman urged party leaders to strengthen their relationships with grassroots supporters and communicate the administration’s achievements more effectively to voters.
He also warned against what he described as “elective amnesia”, where voters support candidates at one level of government but fail to vote for other candidates of the same party.
“If you vote for Mr President and you don’t have National Assembly, how do we run government? If you vote for Governor and you don’t vote for House of Assembly to concur to constitutional amendments, how do you move forward? APC needs majority in National Assembly and House of Assembly,” he said.
Reconciliation, party discipline
On internal disagreements, Yilwatda acknowledged that differences and political ambitions were inevitable in a large party but said they should not be allowed to undermine its unity.
Citing his political experience, he recalled losing the 2023 governorship election before subsequently serving as a minister and emerging as the APC national chairman.
He urged aggrieved members to remain committed to the party, while encouraging leaders to identify dissatisfied members and create room for dialogue and reconciliation.
“You may not have it today, but who told you tomorrow is same as yesterday? Work for party, stand for party. Let’s do stakeholder mapping and look at people who are aggrieved. There must be room for dialogue and conciliation,” he said.
Yilwatda also warned members against undermining the party’s internal processes because their personal preferences were not reflected in the emergence of candidates.
He said party members were expected to support candidates who emerged through its established procedures, regardless of individual disagreements.
“Even if you don’t like him, immediately he won election, he is now my candidate. He is now party candidate. Support them because that’s what party has presented,” he said.
APC chairman raises concern over polling unit agents
The APC national chairman expressed concern over the delay in submitting the list of polling unit agents from Lagos State, warning that the party must avoid a repeat of the difficulties it encountered during the previous election.
He said the party had resorted to legal action to complete its agents’ list in the last election and urged Lagos leaders to ensure that all necessary preparations were completed within the stipulated timelines.
“Elections end at polling unit. Do you have your agents? I’m yet to receive list of your agents from Lagos. Last election, APC had to go to court to complete list.
“This time, we must meet timeline. Why PDP couldn’t take us to court on merit was because they had no agent in most polling units. We shouldn’t be victims of ourselves,” Yilwatda said.
He directed party leaders to mobilise 10 canvassers per polling unit and ensure that the agents’ list was digitised and uploaded on time.
Tinubu’s projects need better publicity
On communication, Yilwatda said the APC needed to do more to publicise the achievements of the Tinubu administration, arguing that some beneficiaries of government projects were unaware of the administration responsible for them.
He listed major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the proposed Trans-Sahara Highway linking Calabar with northern states, the Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project, and the Lagos Blue and Red rail lines.
He also highlighted the administration’s tax reforms, which took effect in January 2026, saying the changes had reduced the tax burden on some low-income earners.
“So many projects. People are beneficiaries, they don’t even know. Why are we silent? Tell story, sing song. Tell them what APC has done,” he said.
Yilwatda maintained that the party was bigger than any individual, including Tinubu and himself, and cited the President’s participation in party screening, primary elections and other internal processes as evidence of the importance of party rules.
He urged members to prioritise collective responsibility, strengthen grassroots structures and resolve internal disagreements ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Road to ballot requires preparation, patience, honest communication and willingness to put collective responsibility above personal differences.
“Let us build structures, strengthen relationships with grassroots, resolve differences. Let’s make Lagos win this time,” he said.
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