By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
Barring any last-minute changes, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, will emerge today as the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Multiple sources who spoke last night to Daily Trust, pointed to Nentawe as the leading choice for the position. However, some sources said a former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, is also being considered.
With just hours to the party’s crucial National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, credible insiders revealed that the party’s leadership, comprising the president and governors, has narrowed its search for a new national chairman to Nentawe and Al-Makura.
Nentawe hails from Plateau State in the North Central, the region originally zoned to produce the national chairman before the appointment of former Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned earlier this month.
Other sources told Daily Trust that Al-Makura is still being mentioned as a fallback option.
The push for a new chairman follows Ganduje’s resignation, which came amid internal protests, particularly from North Central stakeholders, who felt short-changed after the abrupt exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu, following the 2023 general election that produced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Party insiders confirmed that zoning the chairmanship back to the North Central and giving priority to a Christian is a strategic move to placate aggrieved stakeholders and address concerns, especially under the Muslim-Muslim presidency of Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Whoever emerges as national chairman today, either Nentawe or Al-Makura, will replace acting chairman Ali Bukar Dalori, who previously served as deputy national chairman before stepping in after Ganduje’s departure.
Some insiders said Dalori could have remained in an acting capacity for a longer period “but for some obvious reasons.”
“He is from Borno State, the same state as Vice President Shettima,” one source said. “And beyond that, there is no time to keep playing to the gallery. The president and the APC want to resolve the chairmanship issue once and for all. Tinubu wants someone who will be as loyal to him as Senator Adamu was to President Buhari.”
Other contenders earlier floated for the position include Senator Sani Musa (Niger State), Senator Salihu Mustapha (Kwara), former Plateau governor Joshua Dariye, SGF George Akume, and Senator Abu Ibrahim (Katsina).
Akume, a former governor of Benue State, publicly distanced himself from the race during the heat of consultations, saying he was focused on his role as SGF and remained loyal to Tinubu.
Sources within the APC national secretariat, the Presidency, and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs confirmed that Nentawe’s name has repeatedly surfaced in high-level internal deliberations.
One top official at the party headquarters said, “The body language of President Tinubu has given Nentawe a significant edge.
“From the National Working Committee (NWC) to the Villa, many believe Nentawe is the man to beat. There’s already subtle celebration in parts of Plateau State over the possibility of their son becoming chairman.”
A technocrat and Christian from the Middle Belt, Nentawe is seen by some as a strategic choice to balance the Muslim-Muslim presidency. Sources say Tinubu and his advisers believe his emergence could help address longstanding complaints of exclusion and improve the party’s image ahead of 2027.
“Even the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is said to be backing Nentawe, which many see as a strong indication of presidential support,” another source said.
Despite widespread endorsements, not everyone is convinced.
Critics, including some within Plateau and Abuja, argue that Nentawe, who joined the APC less than four years ago, lacks the political depth to navigate the party’s complex internal dynamics.
“He’s doing well at the ministry, reaching the poor, managing resources. He’s under immense pressure to accept the chairmanship, but left to him, he’s content where he is,” one insider told Daily Trust.
Another source added that Nentawe harbours political ambitions and may be reluctant to give up his ministerial post, which provides a platform for a possible governorship bid in Plateau, a position he narrowly lost in 2023.
It was further gathered that Nentawe was in Niger State responding to flood victims when he was summoned to Abuja for consultations. He had planned to visit another state but cancelled due to the urgency of the situation.
A close associate told Daily Trust last night: “Unless something dramatic happens in the next few hours, Nentawe will be crowned APC chairman. He is the president’s choice and enjoys support from key players. But as you know, politics is unpredictable.”
Daily Trust