…Say APC Remains Unshaken
…Boast party has 31 governors, over 400 legislators nationwide

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, on Saturday dismissed the decision of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) to zone its 2027 presidential ticket to the South, insisting that the opposition coalition poses no threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling party.

The two APC chieftains spoke in Abuja shortly after the screening of governorship aspirants ahead of the party’s 2027 primaries.

Uzodinma, who appeared before the screening committee for the Imo West Senatorial race, described the exercise as smooth and reflective of unity within the ruling party.

“It was a very good exercise and great, of course. APC is one family, and we know ourselves. Following the requirements of the party, I had to submit myself for proper screening, and they have done that.

“To the best of my knowledge, I think they are satisfied, and I am eligible,” he said.

Reacting to the NDC convention where the opposition party zoned its presidential ticket to the South, Uzodinma said the APC remained firmly in control of the nation’s political landscape.

“The problem I have with the media is that you know the truth, yet you always want to dance around it. In a country of 36 states, 31 are sufficiently transparent members of the APC.

“Look at that proportion. Thirty-one states are already for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Apart from some states that are shared politically, if you add them together, you will know that Nigeria has spoken already,” he stated.

The governor questioned the political strength of the NDC, asking where the party’s national structure and influence could be found.

“So we are not threatened by anybody. First of all, this party that zoned the presidential ticket to the South — where is their head office?” he queried.

On speculation surrounding leadership positions in the National Assembly ahead of the 2027 elections, Uzodinma said his focus remained on representing his people in the Senate rather than lobbying for principal offices.

“My ambition is to go to the Senate to represent my people. We don’t ask for leadership from the grassroots. When I get to the Senate, whatever rules we meet, we will follow,” he said.

Also reacting to the emergence of the NDC and other opposition alliances, APC National Chairman Yilwatda said the real battle was now among opposition parties themselves and not between the APC and the opposition.

“Never at all. Why should we be afraid? If you look at it now, the fight is not between APC and ADC or any other political party, but ADC versus NDC.

“So now we have been vindicated when people said APC was fighting the opposition. Everybody has now seen clearly that it is the opposition fighting themselves,” Yilwatda stated.

The APC chairman argued that opposition parties lacked electoral strength compared to the ruling party, pointing out that the APC continued to dominate elections nationwide.

“All the by-elections, the ADC has won none. The major opposition we have is actually the PDP, and even the PDP has not done very well in terms of performance in the election field,” he said.

According to him, electoral performance should be measured by votes and structures on the ground rather than media visibility.

“Performance is not on TV, not on radio, not in newspapers; it is on the field during elections.

“What numbers are they talking about? Seventeen legislators? We have over 400 legislators. Four hundred compared to 17 is just a meagre number,” he added.

Yilwatda further boasted that the APC remained the most formidable political party in the country with 31 governors, over 600 local government chairmen and structures across the federation.

“We have over 2,000 local governments and more than 600 local government chairmen. APC is the most prepared and most outstanding political party that can face anybody,” he said.

The APC chairman also addressed questions over the absence of some governors, including the governor of Rivers State, from the ongoing screening exercise.

“Why are you singling out one governor? Three governors have not appeared. They all have their reasons because they are chief executives of their states with responsibilities.

“Any governor who has state issues to attend to — whether from Kwara, Ebonyi or Rivers — can be excused. Whenever they are free, the screening committee will provide a slot for them,” he said.