Tinubu fit for 2027 race, APC chairman dismisses health concerns

The National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda. Photo: APC

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has maintained that President Bola Tinubu is fit to seek re-election in 2027, dismissing concerns about the President’s health.

Yilwatda stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

He also cautioned against interpreting isolated criticism of Tinubu as evidence of widespread opposition to his administration.

Tinubu, who was elected in February 2023, secured 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 6,984,520 votes.

He was sworn in on May 29, 2023, and is seeking another four-year term in the 2027 election.

On the controversy surrounding the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, Yilwatda said Christians engaged by the party were comfortable with the arrangement.

The ticket, which paired Tinubu with Kashim Shettima, also a Muslim, attracted criticism from some Christian groups and political stakeholders during the 2023 election campaign.

The criticism centred on concerns about religious representation and the exclusion of Christians from the two highest positions on the ticket.

On the President’s absence from some campaign rallies, the APC chairman said Tinubu had constitutional responsibilities that would not allow him to attend every political engagement.

He explained that some government officials had been encouraged to participate in selected rallies to ensure that official duties were not affected by campaign activities.

Yilwatda said Tinubu’s earlier decision not to attend every rally should not be viewed as a sign of weakness or an inability to lead the party’s re-election campaign.

The APC chairman also defended the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, rejecting claims that the arrangement had sidelined Christians under the current administration.

He said Christians consulted by the party had expressed satisfaction with the ticket, adding that their concerns about being excluded from government had not materialised.

“Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“The thought and most Christians feared that the Muslim-Muslim ticket may suppress their voices, but their voices are heard loud and clear now,” he said.

He further argued that Christians had not been subjected to molestation on account of Tinubu’s religion during his three years in office.

On the leadership crisis in the African Democratic Congress, following a Federal High Court judgment invalidating the David Mark-led leadership, Yilwatda denied allegations that the APC was behind the party’s internal dispute.

He questioned the opposition party’s decision to blame the ruling party for a legal dispute initiated by one of its members.

Asked whether he welcomed the ADC’s leadership troubles, the APC chairman said he was unconcerned about the development.

Yilwatda also expressed confidence that Tinubu would defeat former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in a free and fair election in 2027.

He attributed Atiku’s performance in the 2023 presidential election largely to the political machinery of the Peoples Democratic Party rather than his personal popularity.

“He did not win because of Atiku; he won because of the structure of the PDP. It was the PDP that brought Atiku, not Atiku winning on his own,” he said.

Addressing reports of election-related violence, Yilwatda said the APC supported credible elections and expressed sympathy for victims of attacks, while distancing the party from responsibility for such incidents.

“If anybody is injured by anybody across the country, I’m sure it shouldn’t be by APC supporters. I pity anybody who is being injured, and I sympathise with them. Our party stands for free and fair elections,” he said.

The APC chairman also defended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his proposed ₦10m reward for councils that deliver their wards for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.

Yilwatda maintained that the offer did not constitute vote buying.