The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has been officially appointed as the new national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ending weeks of speculation about the leadership transition within the ruling party.
His appointment was confirmed late Wednesday following a strategic meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The gathering, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu, included APC governors and top party stakeholders.
Yilwatda steps in to replace Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned from the chairmanship, citing health-related reasons.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) told reporters:
“This decision reflects a deliberate shift toward technocratic leadership. The party wants capable administrators rather than lifelong politicians.”
He added that Yilwatda’s Christian background was also a factor in balancing the religious representation within the party’s national structure.
Yilwatda, who previously ran as the APC’s governorship candidate in Plateau State during the 2023 elections, was appointed to the federal cabinet in 2024.
He was born on August 8, 1968, in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, to the late Reverend and Mrs. Toma Yilwatda.
Before joining the cabinet, Yilwatda served as the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Benue State from 2017, where insiders described him as a man with “vast electoral and administrative experience.”
He is a certified engineer, registered with COREN, and is affiliated with professional bodies including the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Solar Society of Nigeria.