Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has cautioned voters in Northern Nigeria that electing either Atiku Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (ADC) or Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on January 16, 2027, would lead to a return to widespread poverty in the region. This warning was issued at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja while receiving state House of Assembly defectors from Jigawa, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara states.
Yilwatda warned that the opposition's pledge to roll back key reforms of President Bola Tinubu, particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy, would strip the North of critical funding needed for infrastructure, agricultural growth, and education. He accused the opposition of running propaganda campaigns on regional media to misinform northern electorates about the administration's performance. According to Yilwatda, the opposition is painting false stories, citing examples of misinformation on Hausa radio programs.
The APC National Chairman pointed to ongoing multi-billion-naira highway projects across northern states as proof of Tinubu's commitment to the region. He mentioned the roads from Abuja to Kano and from Kano to Maiduguri, which are nearly completed or almost 50% complete. Yilwatda listed other federal road works spanning Abuja-Lokoja-Benue, Akwanga-Jos, Kwara-Mokwa, Sokoto-Kebbi, Kano-Daura, and Zaria-Danja, emphasizing the administration's efforts to develop the region.
Yilwatda sharply criticized opposition figures' promises to reinstate fuel subsidies, arguing that such a move would force the Federal Government to halt vital development projects tailored for the North. He stressed that northern communities stand to lose the most if the federal government abandons current initiatives in energy, agriculture, and youth empowerment. The APC National Chairman also linked increased federal allocation transfers under President Tinubu to improved governance in northern states.
Yilwatda recalled that many northern states could not clear basic wage bills before 2023, but with the current administration, they can now pay salaries. He noted that among the about 30 states that could not pay salaries in Nigeria, all the states in the North were among them. Yilwatda questioned whether the states should go back to the era when they could not pay salaries or gratuities, which would increase poverty in the North.
The APC National Chairman welcomed the new defectors ahead of the January 16, 2027 presidential election and called for sustained mobilization across the North to secure President Tinubu's re-election bid. He expressed happiness that the defectors had joined the APC to support President Tinubu and urged them to work together to ensure his re-election.
Yilwatda concluded by emphasizing the need for the North to continue to benefit from the current administration's initiatives and not return to the era of poverty and underdevelopment. He urged northern voters to be wary of the opposition's promises and to support President Tinubu's re-election bid to ensure continued development in the region.
Key points
- - Electing Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi in 2027 would trigger widespread poverty in Northern Nigeria. - The opposition's pledge to roll back key reforms of President Bola Tinubu would strip the North of critical funding needed for infrastructure, agricultural growth, and education. - The APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, emphasized the need for sustained mobilization across the North to secure President Tinubu's re-election bid.
