Wike Fight: APC Chairman Makes U-Turn; Says No Governor or Individual Is A Leader of APC

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has asserted that the ruling party is not under the control of any single governor or individual.
Speaking during the Sunset program on Jay FM in Jos, Plateau State, the Chairman explained that governors do not hold ultimate authority over the party, as strategic decisions are primarily formulated at the national level.
“Across the country, no one can hijack any section of the party. Whatever is done at the state level is planned at the national level; it is not determined locally. This is the APC structure and that is how we operate,” Yilwatda stated.
He further emphasized the party’s commitment to its internal hierarchy over personal influence. “We work with structure. We don’t work based on sentiments or emotions. Nobody has absolute control over the party—not even myself. No local government chairman, governor, or senator has control over the APC. It is not owned by any individual,” he added.
To prevent internal friction and the concentration of power, Yilwatda noted that the APC has intentionally avoided forming a Board of Trustees (BoT).
“That is why the APC does not have a Board of Trustees. The party is owned by the people; the people are the trustees. Unlike other political parties where a few individuals control the structures, I have no BoT supervising me. I am guided by the party’s constitution and collective structure,” he said.
This stance marks a notable shift in rhetoric. Observers Times recalls that on January 3, 2026, Prof. Yilwatda had declared Governor Siminalayi Fubara as the leader of the party in Rivers State. During an appearance on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, the Chairman had pledged to support Fubara’s second-term bid should he win the party’s primaries, while noting that the Governor would still need to “coordinate with every other person in the state.”
These clarifying comments come amid heightened political tension between Governor Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over the leadership and political machinery of Rivers State.