North-Central APC Forum Makes U-Turn, Apologizes for Demanding Chairmanship Slot

The North-Central APC Forum has publicly disowned its own agitation for the party’s national chairmanship to return to the region, declaring that its preferred candidate, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has “failed woefully” to provide the leadership the party needs.

In a statement by its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the Forum said it was “deeply disappointed” in Yilwatda, accusing him of lacking political experience, promoting a religious agenda, and destabilizing party structures in Plateau and across the North-Central.

The group apologized to President Bola Tinubu, former chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, and other APC leaders, saying its one-year push — protests, rallies, press conferences, and court actions — had become a regrettable mistake.

A viral video of Yilwatda declaring himself a representative of “North-Central Christians” triggered renewed outrage within the Forum, which says the chairman has “abandoned party principles” and cannot unite the region.

The Forum is now urging President Tinubu to appoint a more competent national chairman from any zone during the December 2025 convention.

It also accused Yilwatda of blocking Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s planned defection from PDP to APC in order to protect his own 2027 governorship ambition, urging him to resign and face his political plans.

Despite the crisis, the group insists it will still deliver six million votes for Tinubu in 2027.