Ahead of the 2027 general election, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda has said that the African Democratic Congress (ADC)and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (ADC) are not a threat to the ruling party.
He said the ruling party has over 31 governors, 400 legislators in its fold compared to a “meagre” 17 lawmakers that recently defected to the NDC.
Yilwatda disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja after the screening of governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s primary.
He maintained that the NDC was not a threat to the party despite zoning its presidential ticket to the South.
He stated: “Why should we be afraid? If you look at it now, the fight is not between APC and ADC or within our political party, but ADC versus NDC.
So we’ve been vindicated when people say that APC was fighting opposition.
“Now everybody has seen clearly that it is the opposition fighting themselves. So when you talk about having problems or challenges, why should we be afraid?
“All the by-elections—ADC has won none. In other by-elections, NDC has won none. The major opposition we have is actually PDP.
“And even the PDP has not done very well in terms of electoral performance. Performance is not on TV, it is not on radio; it is in newspapers, it is on the field during elections.”
Yilwatda noted that the recent defection of 17 lawmakers was meagre compared to 400 legislators that APC has.
He added: “17 legislators? We have over 400 legislators. Compared to 17, it is just a meagre number that has moved to those numbers.
“31 governors are still intact. We have over 600 local government chairmen. APC is the most prepared, most outstanding political party that right now can face anybody on earth. I have not seen a party that can give us a headache.”
Asked why the governor of Rivers state, Sim Fubara has not come for the screening, Yilwatda wondered why Fubara was singled out.
He added: “Why are you singling one governor out of many? He is not here. But why single him alone? The governor of Kwara has not come also. So three governors have not come. You don’t single one person who has not come. Why is it that three governors have not appeared before us?
“That is why I am saying why Rivers alone when three governors have not appeared? All of them have their excuses and reasons why they are not appearing. We know they are chief executives of their states and have state issues to attend to.
“So any governor who has issues to attend to, Kwara, Ebonyi and River state we excuse him. Governors are chief executives; they are commanders. Anytime you are free, you call the screening committee, we give you a room, you come at your will and convenience, and we will screen you.”
On his part, the Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma also insisted that none of the opposition parties is a threat to the re-election bid of President Bola Tinubu.
His words: “The problem I have with the media is that you know the truth, yet you always want to dance around in a country of 36 states, and 31 are sufficiently and transparently members of the All Progressives Congress.
“Look at that proportion 31 states are already for president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, apart from some states that are half APC and half their party. If you add it to it. You know that Nigeria has spoken.
“So I’m not, we’re not threatened by any. First of all, this party that zoned the presidential ticket to the South—where is their head office?”