2027: “Without votes, you’ll have no office,” APC chairman tackles Tinubu, Governors’ appointees feigning technocrats, asks them to galvanize support for the party or resign
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has told political appointees serving under President Bola Tinubu and state governors to either mobilise support for the party ahead of the 2027 general election or resign from office.
Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting with members of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum in Abuja, Nentawe Yilwatda, APC national chairman, said political appointments are not meant for technocrats who avoid partisan responsibilities.
The delegation, led by Mustafa Jibrin, chairman of Chanchaga LGA in Niger state, briefed the party leadership on its grassroots mobilisation strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.
Yilwatda said LGA chairmen were better placed than officials in Abuja to assess whether political appointees were contributing to the party’s electoral strength in their communities.
“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,” he said.
“It is you who know whether this director general may be working in the office, but politically he is zero back home.”
The APC chairman said those who accepted political appointments could not distance themselves from politics by describing themselves as technocrats.
“We call them political appointees. There is a word ‘political’ there. They are not just technocrats. They are political appointees,” he stated.
“You can’t be holding a political position and then say you are not a politician. I have been hearing some people saying that, ‘I am not a politician,’ but they are holding political appointments.
“It is like somebody who has Yoruba or Kanuri tribal marks telling you that he is not a Yoruba or Kanuri man. It cannot happen.”
Yilwatda said anyone unwilling to participate in politics should reject political appointments.
“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 said.
“That is why we need you to work with these people. Tell them they are not doing well. Tell them where we need to work harder. Tell them where we have leakages so that we can win the election.”
The APC chairman assured the forum of the party’s support for its mobilisation programmes, including the inauguration of state coordinators and a mass endorsement rally for Tinubu.
“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.
He added that the party leadership would personally participate in mobilisation activities organised by the forum without waiting for formal invitations.
Earlier, Jibrin said the forum had the backing of more than 685 LGA chairmen and 31 APC governors.
He said the group was targeting at least 70 percent of votes cast in the 2027 presidential election for the APC.
Jibrin added that the forum planned to mobilise all APC LGA chairmen and councillors nationwide for a formal endorsement of Tinubu’s re-election bid on a date to be approved by the party leadership.
