The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has been named the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Daily Sun reports.
His appointment puts an end to weeks of speculation over who would succeed Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who stepped down citing health issues.
Yilwatda’s selection was made ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, following consultations involving President Bola Tinubu and governors elected on the APC platform at a closed-door meeting at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday night.
A member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke to Daily Sun, said the decision to pick Yilwatda was aimed at bringing in someone with a more democratic outlook rather than a career politician.
The source also said Yilwatda’s appointment was intended to address concerns over religious representation in the party’s leadership structure.
Yilwatda, who ran for governor of Plateau State under the APC in the 2023 general elections, was appointed Minister last year.
Born on August 8, 1968 in Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State, he previously served as Resident Electoral Commissioner in Benue State after being appointed by INEC in 2017.
An engineer by profession, Yilwatda is registered with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and is a member of several engineering bodies, including the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Solar Society of Nigeria