By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed concerns over the opposition Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)’s decision to zone its presidential ticket to the South, insisting the move poses no threat to the ruling party’s political dominance ahead of future elections.
National Chairman of the APC, Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, stated this while addressing journalists in Abuja, describing the opposition space as deeply divided and incapable of mounting a serious challenge against the ruling party.
According to him, the current political tension in the country is not between the APC and opposition parties, but rather a struggle among opposition groups themselves.
“Why should we be afraid?” Nentawe queried while reacting to claims that the NDC’s zoning arrangement could weaken the APC’s support base. “The fight is not between APC and ADC or within our party. What we are seeing is ADC versus NDC. Those who accused APC of fighting the opposition can now see clearly that the opposition is fighting itself.”
The APC chairman also questioned the electoral relevance of the rival parties, arguing that neither the African Democratic Congress (ADC) nor the NDC had demonstrated real political strength in recent elections.
“The major opposition we have remains the PDP, and even they have not performed impressively. Performance is not measured on television or radio; it is tested on the field during elections,” he said.
Nentawe further downplayed reports of growing defections to the NDC, insisting that the APC’s overwhelming political structure across the country remains intact.
“You are talking about 17 legislators when APC has over 400 lawmakers nationwide. That is insignificant compared to our strength,” he stated. “We still have 31 governors and over 600 local government chairmen. APC remains the most prepared and formidable political party in the country.”
The APC chairman also responded to questions surrounding the absence of some governors, including Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, from recent party screening activities.
He cautioned against focusing attention on one individual, noting that the governors of Kwara and Ebonyi states were equally absent due to official engagements in their respective states.
“Why single out one governor? Three governors have not appeared before the committee, and they all have genuine reasons. They are chief executives with pressing state responsibilities,” he explained.
Nentawe assured that the party’s screening committee would accommodate the affected governors whenever they become available.
“Anytime they are free, they will appear before the committee. For now, they have been excused to attend to their primary mandates,” he added.
BANNERNEWS gathered that the governors of Rivers, Kwara and Ebonyi states are yet to appear before the party’s screening committee. While Governor Fubara is reportedly seeking re-election, the governors of Kwara and Ebonyi are said to be contesting for senatorial seats.
