APC Chairman Assures Balanced Defector Integration

In Abuja, Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, assured longtime party members on Tuesday that recent political defectors would not dominate the party's leadership structures. Speaking to journalists after a closed-door meeting with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) stakeholders, Yilwatda emphasized a balanced approach to integration, drawing a clear line between founding members and newcomers while committing to protect both groups' interests.

"It is a home that we built. If the house was not built, nobody will come, so nobody should come as a warrior and take over," Yilwatda said. He outlined a deliberate power-sharing formula to ensure inclusion, stating, "We must have everybody included; there will be a sharing formula that will ensure that all members of the legacy group and defectors are properly carried along." For the FCT chapter specifically, he detailed a five-dimensional framework covering gender representation, with women in substantive executive roles rather than auxiliary positions; geopolitical balance across Nigeria's six zones; inclusion of indigenous tribes; youth engagement; and other stakeholder interests.