ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, July 24, 2025, called on state governors elected on other party platforms to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring the ruling party “open for growth” and extending an invitation to what he described as a “coalition of progress.”
Speaking at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC in Abuja, Tinubu encouraged political leaders to embrace the APC, especially as the party prepares for key off-cycle elections and the 2027 general election.
“It is not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion,” Tinubu said, in a thinly veiled reference to opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The president commended the current strength and unity within the APC, stating that the party now controls 23 states across the federation.
He also celebrated the recent defections of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno from the PDP to the APC.
“I want to thank our governors. Today, I think we have 23 governors and still counting. I thank all of you for your show of love, solidarity, and accommodation,” Tinubu said.
He added that the APC would continue to welcome new members through the end of the year: “With the space we have created to allow more members to join us, our doors are still open till December, and we will embrace them wholeheartedly.”
The meeting also served as the venue for the ratification of Nentawe Yilwatda’s appointment as the new National Chairman of the party.
Yilwatda, formerly the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, succeeds Abdullahi Ganduje, who resigned from the position on Friday, June 27, 2025.
Yilwatda’s emergence was adopted as a consensus decision by the NEC, with party leaders praising his technocratic experience and bridge-building credentials as essential to the APC’s future strategy.
