The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says the party’s internal opinion polls indicate that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election.
Mr Yilwatda said the ruling party had conducted surveys across states and obtained what he described as reliable statistics showing that it was ahead of its political opponents.
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“We have done fact-finding; we are leading. We have done our polls. We have our own polls that give us the real statistics across the states,” he said.
The APC chairman spoke on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
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Asked whether the polls indicated that Mr Tinubu would win the election, Mr Yilwatda replied in the affirmative.
He expressed confidence that the APC would defeat the opposition, particularly the African Democratic Congress (ADC), whose presidential candidate is former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), which has Peter Obi as its candidate.
He argued that the opposition parties had yet to demonstrate sufficient electoral strength to threaten the ruling party, pointing to their performance in previous elections.
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APC defends Tinubu’s economic reforms
The APC chairman also defended the economic policies of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the government’s tax reforms would benefit low-income Nigerians while increasing revenue and expanding the number of taxpayers.
He said the new tax regime was designed to favour poorer Nigerians and improve government revenue by bringing more people into the tax net.
Mr Yilwatda also defended the administration’s power sector reforms, which allow state governments and private investors to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
He said the reforms had created opportunities for states to develop their own electricity projects.
The APC chairman acknowledged the economic difficulties Nigerians were experiencing, including the high cost of fuel, but described the situation as temporary.
“What we are passing through in Nigeria, for example, at this moment, is temporary. The increase in the cost of fuel is temporary. Nigerians believe in us,” he said.
His defence comes amid public criticism of the administration’s economic policies, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the effects of higher fuel prices on households and businesses.
Yilwatda compares Tinubu with Atiku
Mr Yilwatda also compared Mr Tinubu’s performance with that of Atiku, who served as vice-president between 1999 and 2007 and is now the ADC’s presidential candidate.
He described Mr Tinubu as a better choice for Nigerians, citing his record in Lagos State before becoming president and the infrastructure projects undertaken during his tenure.
The APC chairman highlighted the growth in Lagos State’s revenue under Mr Tinubu, who governed the state from 1999 to 2007.
“President Tinubu met Lagos at roughly about N14 billion per annum; roughly, today we are talking about over N8 trillion per annum revenue,” he said.
He also cited the Lagos Blue Line and Red Line rail projects as examples of infrastructure development associated with the state.
Mr Yilwatda criticised the privatisation of public assets under previous administrations, arguing that some critical national infrastructure had been sold at prices far below the cost of construction.
He cited the Ajaokuta Steel Company and an aluminium smelter in Akwa Ibom State, alleging that the assets were sold at a fraction of their original construction costs.
The APC chairman used the examples to question Atiku’s record in government and argued that Mr Tinubu had a stronger economic record.
APC rejects allegations of corruption
Mr Yilwatda also rejected allegations that the APC protects its members from prosecution over corruption allegations.
He challenged opposition figures to provide evidence to support claims that the ruling party shields its members accused of wrongdoing.
“Nobody is protected in the APC party,” he said, adding that some party members were already facing prosecution and appearing in court.
He argued that membership of the ruling party did not exempt anyone from legal proceedings, while insisting that accused persons were entitled to their fundamental rights.
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The APC chairman also criticised opposition claims about the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), accusing political opponents of misrepresenting figures relating to the student loan scheme.
Responding to comments by the ADC’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, on the scheme, Mr Yilwatda said opposition figures had failed to examine relevant documents before making public claims.
“They don’t even study the documents; they don’t even have time to recall, and that’s why they craft numbers, go on air with those numbers, and just throw them in public,” he said.
NELFUND was established under the Tinubu administration to provide financial assistance to eligible students in public tertiary institutions.
Mr Yilwatda also addressed concerns about internal disagreements within the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
He acknowledged tensions in some states, including Katsina, Kano and Kwara, but dismissed suggestions that the disputes posed an existential threat to the ruling party.
He said the party was engaging stakeholders to resolve disagreements and manage grievances arising from its internal political processes.
The APC has faced disputes in several states as politicians position themselves for the next elections, with disagreements over party leadership and nominations raising concerns about possible defections.
Mr Yilwatda maintained that the party could manage the disputes while continuing its preparations for the 2027 polls.
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