Ex-INEC Commissioner, Yilwatda Emerges Successor To Ganduje As APC National Chairman

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as its new National Chairman to succeed Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned down due to health-related concerns.

Yilwatda, who currently serves as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, emerged as the consensus nominee after a high-level meeting between President Bola Tinubu and APC governors in Abuja on Monday night.

The Professor of Computer Engineering was also the INEC Commissi0ner in Delta State.

The decision was reached to ensure stability and continuity within the ruling party’s leadership ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Professor Yilwatda, was a former gubernatorial candidate in Plateau State, is widely regarded as a technocrat with grassroots appeal and administrative experience.

His appointment is seen as a strategic move to strengthen the party’s internal cohesion and broaden its support base across the North-Central region.

With the 2027 elections drawing closer, the APC leadership is reportedly prioritising unity, youth inclusion, and national outreach, especially in light of emerging opposition coalitions.

Yilwatda was born on 8 August 1968 in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, he is the son of the late Rev and Mrs Toma Yilwatda.

His emergence as chairman comes after the brief acting leadership of Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori, who was appointed by the party to steer its affairs following the resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

He studied Electrical/Electronic Engineering at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, graduating in 1992.

He went on to obtain a Master’s in Engineering from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, and a PhD from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a specialisation in Digital Systems Engineering.

Yilwatda has international training in e-governance from the United Nations University in Macau, China.

During the 2023 general elections, he served as the coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign in Plateau State.

Yilwatda was later appointed as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in October 2024 before being named the party’s substantive chairman on Thursday, 24th of July, 2025.