In a calculated shake-up at the top, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has tapped Professor Nentawe Yilwatda to lead Nigeria’s ruling party as its new national chairman. His selection comes on the heels of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s resignation, reportedly due to health-related issues.

Yilwatda, currently serving as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, was chosen during a late-night closed-door session in Abuja involving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC state governors. Sources close to the discussion confirmed that his nomination is expected to be formally approved by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) later today.

At 56, Yilwatda brings a fresh energy to the party’s leadership. He hails from Plateau State and was the APC gubernatorial flagbearer in the 2023 elections. His nomination follows the party’s power-sharing formula, which zones the national chairmanship to the North-Central region—covering states like Benue, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau.

Insiders say his Christian background played a strategic role in his emergence. With both President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima being Muslims, party stakeholders believed installing a Christian as chairman would help strike a religious balance and broaden the APC’s appeal across faith lines.

“He’s not your typical politician—young, intelligent, and untainted by the usual drama,” one senior APC official noted. “We’re optimistic he’ll help clean up the party’s image and reset public trust.”

Yilwatda isn’t new to leadership or governance. He previously taught engineering at the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, before moving into public service. Between 2017 and 2021, he served as an INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, overseeing elections across five different states. He resigned from INEC in late 2021 to pursue politics in his home state, quickly rising through the ranks to clinch the APC’s governorship ticket. Though he lost to the PDP’s candidate, President Tinubu later brought him on board as a minister.

Now, as he prepares to take the reins of a party battling internal rifts and waning public enthusiasm, APC leaders are betting that Yilwatda’s blend of academic, administrative, and political experience will steer the party back on track.

With the next electoral cycle already looming, all eyes are on the new chairman to see whether he can truly deliver the reset the APC desperately needs.