The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has been appointed the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), ending weeks of speculation over who would succeed Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned due to health reasons.
Yilwatda’s appointment was sealed during a high-level meeting late Wednesday night at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The meeting was attended by President Bola Tinubu, APC governors, and other top party leaders.
A member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed that the decision reflects the party’s shift toward technocratic leadership rather than relying solely on career politicians.
Yilwatda’s emergence, according to insiders, was also aimed at addressing religious balancing within the party’s top ranks. He is a Christian from Plateau State and was the APC’s governorship candidate in the 2023 elections.
Born on August 8, 1968, in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, Yilwatda is the son of the late Reverend and Mrs. Toma Yilwatda. He previously served as INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Benue State in 2017.
He is a registered engineer with COREN, and a member of several professional bodies including the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and the Solar Society of Nigeria.
Yilwatda was appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs in 2024, and now steps into one of the ruling party’s most influential roles.
