The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced that political appointments after the 2027 general elections will be exclusively for party loyalists, not technocrats or professionals who distance themselves from party activities.
Yilwatda made this declaration on Tuesday night in Abuja during an event titled “Renewed Hope Promise Kept 2027: Meet and Greet North-West Mobilisation,” which was organised by Bello Goronyo, the Minister of State for Works.
The APC chairman stressed that governance is fundamentally political, meaning anyone who receives a government appointment must actively support and work for the party that facilitated their position.
A video recording of his remarks spread quickly on Wednesday, January 21, sparking widespread discussion on social media amongst political observers, party members, and civil society groups.
Whilst some party supporters welcomed the position, critics expressed concern that it could compromise merit-based governance.
Yilwatda insisted that all appointees must be active in grassroots politics and participate in party work, dismissing the notion of technocrats in political roles.
“We should always look back and remind ourselves of what brought us here. It is votes. There is no vote called technocrats. Once you are given a political appointment, you are a politician. Simple,” he said.
The chairman made clear he would vigorously defend the stance that only people prepared to actively work for the APC deserve appointments.
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“As party chairman, I will stand strong to defend the position that if you are not prepared to join us, you shouldn’t be given an appointment.
“If you are a technocrat, go and be a consultant,” he added, calling on appointees to merge their governance responsibilities with political work.
He argued that government policies represent campaign promises that must be defended and promoted by those implementing them, warning that appointees who separate themselves from party goals risk weakening the APC’s hold on power.
“Government policies are campaign promises that must be defended, explained, and promoted by those implementing them. Appointees cannot divorce themselves from party objectives,” Nentawe said, adding that detachment from political mobilisation could weaken the party’s grip on power.
Hadiza Bala-Usman, Special Adviser on Policy Coordination and Head of the Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, reinforced the message by pointing out that the North-West provided the most votes for the APC in 2023 and must stay united to perform even better in 2027.
“We are a vote basket and we must retain that. Nobody should work hard to win elections whilst others stroll in to collect appointments and hide behind being technocrats,” she said.
She cautioned that political appointees who refuse to campaign or mobilise support for the party would face consequences, emphasising that appointments carry political responsibilities.
“Once you are a political appointee, you must come out, show your face, show your hand, and support the party,” Bala-Usman said.