By Abdul Hassan
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has been sworn in as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
His emergence was formally announced on Thursday during the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC in Abuja, where party leaders gathered to chart a new direction ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The minister’s elevation was adopted as a “consensus decision” by the party’s NEC — a move party leaders described as both pragmatic and symbolic.
Nentawe, who was the Plateau APC governorship candidate during the 2023 governorship election in the state, replaces the party’s former Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, who resigned on June 27, 2025.
The new party chairman was nominated by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, Gov Hope Uzodinma of Imo state, and seconded by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr Tajudeen Abbas.
A protégé of former governor of Plateau, Sen. Simon Lalong, Yilwatda is said to be a respected academic, and loyal party man, who is measured in temperament and widely regarded for his policy depth.
The meeting had in attendance President Bola Tinubu, members of the Progressives Governors Forum and top party officials.
Born on Aug. 8, 1968, Yilwatda, who is the son of a clergy from Plateau, is an engineer.
Between July 2017 and December 2021, he was the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Benue.
Prior to that, he was an academic and the ICT Director at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, for 12 years.
He resigned from that position to contest for the seat of governor on the APC’s platform but lost to incumbent Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP.
His appointment is expected to usher in a quieter but more strategic phase in the party’s leadership as it gears up for electoral contests and internal reforms.
