Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a stern warning to political appointees serving under President Bola Tinubu and state governors, declaring that they must actively mobilise support for the party ahead of the 2027 general election or resign from their positions. The party's National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, delivered the ultimatum on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, during a meeting with members of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen's Forum at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.
Yilwatda said political appointments are not meant for technocrats who avoid partisan responsibilities, insisting that anyone who accepts a political office must also accept the political responsibilities that come with it. "We call them political appointees. There is a word 'political' there. They are not just technocrats. They are political appointees," he stated. He compared the claim of being a non-partisan technocrat while holding a political appointment to "somebody who has Yoruba or Kanuri tribal marks telling you that he is not a Yoruba or Kanuri man. It cannot happen".
The APC chairman directed local government chairmen to monitor the political performance of government appointees in their communities and report those failing to support the party at the grassroots. "It is you who will tell me that this commissioner is not working. Maybe he is working in the office, but politically he is zero in his ward," Yilwatda told the forum. "It is you who know whether this director general may be working in the office, but politically he is zero back home".
Yilwatda said anyone unwilling to participate in politics should reject political appointments from the outset. "If you don't want to be a politician, don't take a political appointment. We work to mobilise votes. Without the votes, you can't be in office," he declared. He urged the local government chairmen to identify areas where the party needed to improve and highlight weaknesses that should be addressed to strengthen the APC's chances of winning future elections.
The delegation was led by Mustafa Jibrin, chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area in Niger State, who briefed the party leadership on the forum's grassroots mobilisation strategy ahead of the 2027 polls. Jibrin informed the national chairman that the Progressive Local Government Chairmen's Forum now has the backing of over 685 local government chairmen and 31 APC governors across the country. He said the group is targeting at least 70 per cent of the votes cast in the 2027 presidential election for the APC.
The forum also plans to mobilise all APC local government chairmen and councillors nationwide for a formal endorsement of President Tinubu's re-election bid on a date to be approved by the party leadership. Yilwatda assured the forum of the party's full support for its mobilisation programmes, including the inauguration of state coordinators and a mass endorsement rally for Tinubu in Abuja. "We will support you. We will stand by you. We will ensure that we have a strong partnership that will give this party a strong victory in 2027," he said.
The APC chairman pledged that the party leadership would personally participate in mobilisation activities organised by the forum without waiting for formal invitations. He said reluctance to participate in such efforts was akin to "someone who is hungry but insists on being invited before eating". Yilwatda's warning signals a significant shift in the APC's approach to political appointees, emphasising that governance and politics are inseparable and that those who benefit from political appointments must actively contribute to the party's electoral success.
The ultimatum comes as the APC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the party seeking to consolidate its hold on power and secure a second term for President Tinubu. The warning also reflects growing concerns within the party that some appointees have been treating their positions as purely administrative roles while failing to engage in the political work necessary to sustain the party's electoral dominance. As the 2027 election cycle gathers momentum, the message from the party's leadership is clear: political appointees must either work to deliver votes for the APC or step aside.
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