The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda as its new National Chairman, succeeding former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who stepped down due to health-related concerns.
Yilwatda, a technocrat-turned-politician and former governorship candidate of the APC in Plateau State, brings with him a strong background in engineering, digital governance, and public administration. His emergence marks a strategic shift in the party’s leadership, with many seeing him as a bridge between the party’s political elite and its technocratic wing.
Born on August 8, 1968, in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, Professor Yilwatda is the son of the late Reverend and Mrs. Toma Yilwatda. He earned his first degree in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, in 1992. He later obtained a Master’s degree from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, and completed a PhD in Digital Systems Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
His professional journey also includes international training in e-governance at the United Nations University in Macau, China, further reinforcing his reputation as a forward-thinking public administrator.
From Technocrat to Party Strategist
Yilwatda first rose to political prominence during the 2023 general elections when he served as the Plateau State Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council. He later contested the Plateau State governorship election under the APC banner. Though defeated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Yilwatda initially challenged the result in court before eventually accepting the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the PDP’s victory.
Within APC circles, Yilwatda is known for his enduring alliance with former Plateau Governor Simon Lalong, a relationship that has significantly influenced his political trajectory. He was widely considered for a federal cabinet position after Lalong’s transition to the Senate and was at one point nominated as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
However, in a strategic move to consolidate the party’s internal structure, he was appointed as the substantive National Chairman of the APC, a role that positions him at the heart of Nigeria’s ruling political establishment.
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