The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed the growing profile of the National Democratic Coalition (NDC), insisting it poses no threat to the ruling party's electoral prospects ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda's Assessment
Yilwatda, who fielded questions from reporters after making an on-the-spot assessment of the sale and submission of expression of interest and nomination forms in Abuja, remarked that recent defections of lawmakers and political figures into the NDC do not alter the political equation. The APC chief described the NDC movement as a redistribution of forces within opposition ranks rather than a direct challenge to the APC.
“You talked about a shocker. Seventeen lawmakers out of about 459 is less than five per cent. Should I be worried about that? I am not worried,” he said.
Fishing from the Same Pond
The APC chairman argued that none of those defecting to the NDC were members of the ruling party, stressing that the coalition is merely “fishing from the same pond” of opposition parties. “If someone defects from one opposition platform to another, how does that affect APC? It doesn’t. Let them sort out their problems,” he added.
He maintained that the APC remains united and firmly positioned nationwide, pointing to what he described as internal wrangling among opposition leaders as a sign of instability. According to him, the real contest in the political space is not between the APC and its challengers, but among opposition groups themselves.
“Nigerians are seeing that the fight is not APC versus opposition; it is opposition versus opposition,” Yilwatda said.
Evidence of Dominance
He further cited the large turnout of aspirants purchasing nomination forms at the party’s secretariat as evidence of the APC’s continued dominance and grassroots acceptance across the country. Political observers, however, note that while the number of defectors may appear small, the emergence of new coalitions like the NDC could still influence alignments ahead of 2027 if it succeeds in consolidating fragmented opposition blocs.
Despite this, the APC leadership remains confident that its structure, incumbency advantage, and nationwide spread will secure victory in the next general elections.
