Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has issued a strong warning to voters in Northern Nigeria, stating that a victory for opposition presidential candidates Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi in the 2027 election would push the region back into widespread poverty.
Speaking in Abuja while addressing State House of Assembly candidates who defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the APC from Jigawa, Plateau, Taraba, and Zamfara states, Yilwatda argued that the opposition’s proposals, especially the plan to reverse the removal of the fuel subsidy, would deprive the North of crucial funds for infrastructure, agriculture, and education. He accused the opposition of using regional media, particularly Hausa-language radio programmes, to misrepresent the administration’s policies and performance.
The APC chairman highlighted ongoing federal road projects across the North as proof of the administration’s commitment to the region’s development. He listed projects such as the Abuja-Kano and Kano-Maiduguri roads, as well as those covering Abuja-Lokoja-Benue, Akwanga-Jos, Kwara-Mokwa, Sokoto-Kebbi, Kano-Daura, and Zaria-Danja. He questioned how the opposition could fund its proposed return to fuel subsidy while sustaining these projects.
Yilwatda also linked increased federal allocations to improved finances of northern states. He recalled that before President Tinubu assumed office in 2023, none of the northern states could pay salaries. He urged the defectors and APC members to intensify mobilisation for Tinubu’s re-election.