The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says he is enjoying the growing crisis and exchange of attacks among opposition parties, describing the situation as a “self-implosion” within the opposition camp ahead of the 2027 elections.
Yilwatda made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, where he dismissed allegations that the APC was orchestrating instability among rival political parties.
According to him, the ruling party was currently not engaged in direct political warfare with opposition groups because opposition parties were already fighting among themselves.
“In the last three weeks, the APC is not fighting ADC or NDC. It is NDC versus ADC or ADC versus NDC,” he said.
“Actually, I watched with fun all the insults that the ADC is raining on the NDC and the NDC is returning those fireworks on the ADC. I watched the videos, and I laughed. The self-implosion is in the opposition rather than in the APC.”
The comments come amid increasing political tensions among emerging opposition coalitions and parties positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Although political observers have questioned whether the APC may be benefiting from internal opposition divisions, Yilwatda denied personally engineering the disputes but admitted that weakening political opponents remained part of partisan politics.
“No, I can’t. But I will be happy if I can do it. That’s my job,” he stated.
“If you are opposing me, should I be happy? If you oppose me because you are in the opposition, what’s my job? Of course, to stop the opposition.”
The APC chairman also defended the ruling party’s internal structure, insisting the party possessed stronger conflict resolution mechanisms than other political parties in the country.
According to him, the APC had established committees at both state and national levels to manage disputes arising from congresses, primaries and internal party disagreements.
His remarks come at a time the ruling party has continued to project unity despite growing criticism from opposition figures over the state of the economy, insecurity and governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Yilwatda also addressed controversies surrounding APC membership registration and the vote figures announced during Tinubu’s presidential primary process.
He disclosed that the party relies on data sourced from the National Identity Management Commission for membership registration.
“To register as a member of the APC, your name and primary data are sourced from NIMC. That’s the same primary data that is used across the country to open a bank account, get a driver’s licence and secure an international passport,” he explained.
“So we’re the only political party that sources our primary data from NIMC. This is why people have seen the APC as one of the most politically viable and stable parties. We are a data-driven political party.”
The statement comes amid broader debates over political realignments ahead of 2027, with several opposition figures reportedly exploring coalition talks aimed at challenging the APC’s dominance at the federal level.
Analysts say the increasing public exchanges among opposition parties could complicate efforts to build a united front capable of confronting the ruling party in the next general election.
Others, however, argue that internal disagreements remain common in coalition-building processes and may not necessarily weaken opposition chances if parties eventually align around a common political strategy.
