The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed the major opposition parties as “just participants” in the 2027 general elections, with its National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, insisting that the ruling party is better prepared for the polls.
Yilwatda spoke on Saturday at the end of a three-day retreat for members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) in Maiduguri, Borno State, where he said the party had completed key preparations, including the inauguration of campaign councils and reconciliation committees.
He said the APC was confident in the candidates produced through its primaries and would intensify its campaign by highlighting the achievements of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The party also passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and other APC candidates.
Responding to concerns over disputes arising from the primaries, Yilwatda said between 6,000 and 7,000 members participated nationwide, while about 100 cases had been taken to court. He argued that the figure represented roughly one per cent of participants and was not an indication of widespread crisis within the party.
The APC chairman also pointed to the party’s campaign structure as evidence of its preparedness, contrasting it with the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). He said the APC had already constituted its campaign council, while the ADC had only announced its leaders and the NDC had subsequently described its own council as a support group.
“We are the most prepared; we contested in many elections and won,” Yilwatda said, adding that the major opposition parties had not won councilorship elections and were, in his assessment, “just participants” in the 2027 contest.
The APC’s position comes amid preparations by parties for the 2027 elections, with campaign activities already underway. The ruling party has also publicly demonstrated its campaign structure, including the presidential campaign council constituted in August with President Tinubu as chairman and Senator Abdulaziz Yari as Director-General.
