Amanze ChinonyeThe ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, as its new National Chairman.
The decision was taken during the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Thursday, following the resignation of the former chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who stepped down citing undisclosed “crucial private matters.”
Join our WhatsApp ChannelYilwatda’s emergence was unopposed, signaling broad consensus within the party’s leadership and marking a strategic turn towards technocratic leadership at the helm of the APC.
Born on 8 August 1968, in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, Prof. Yilwatda is a seasoned academic, technocrat, and public servant. A professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, he has had an extensive career spanning academia, public administration, electoral reform, and humanitarian work.
He holds degrees from the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
For over two decades, he lectured and held various positions at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, where he also served as the pioneer Director of ICT, championing major digital reforms.
Outside academia, Yilwatda has worked as a digital governance consultant for organisations, including UNICEF, the European Union, the World Bank, and TECHVILE USA, focusing on the intersection of technology, governance, and public policy.
In 2017, he was appointed as a Resident Electoral Commissioner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), where he led several reforms, including policies for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) during elections.
He resigned in 2021 to contest the Plateau State governorship under the APC and later served as the Plateau Coordinator for the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign during the 2023 elections.
Currently serving as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yilwatda is also a member of the Presidential Economic Management Team and Chairman of the Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development.
His appointment as APC chairman is seen by political observers as a deliberate move to reposition the party ahead of future electoral contests by tapping into his policy expertise, digital vision, and grassroots political experience.
Party insiders say Yilwatda’s combination of technocratic knowledge and electoral fieldwork makes him well-suited to lead the APC through internal reforms and strategic planning, especially in light of challenges facing the party at the state and national levels.
As he assumes leadership of Africa’s largest political party, eyes will be on how he balances his ministerial portfolio with his new party role, and whether his leadership will usher in a new era of strategic modernization within the APC.
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