President Bola Tinubu has forecast a significant influx of political figures into the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that more People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governors and opposition leaders are preparing to defect to the ruling party.
Speaking at the 14th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the APC held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Tinubu revealed that the party’s national convention was postponed to December in anticipation of these new entrants.
Encouraging party leaders to open their arms to incoming members, the President underscored the importance of inclusion and integration.
“More governors are still coming. That’s why we shifted our convention to December,” he said.“Our doors are wide open, and we must accommodate them all. They must be allowed to jump out from a wrecking ship and a coalition of confusion.”
Tinubu further stated: “Today, we have 23 governors, and very many more are still coming. We must accommodate them all. Our doors are still open, and we should embrace them wholeheartedly.”
To ensure new members are properly integrated, the President proposed the formation of a committee to coordinate their registration and participation.
“With the space that you have created to allow the aspiring people to join us, before the end of this meeting, we might form a committee to move around the states and ensure that those who have joined us enjoy the registration and membership of our party without any difficulty,” he said.
“I urge all the members of our great party, APC, to develop a spirit of inclusion and accommodate all those willing to join our party. It is necessary. Our door must remain open.”
During the meeting, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, a technocrat from Plateau State and current Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, was unanimously elected as the new National Chairman. He succeeds Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who stepped down last month due to health reasons.
Accepting the role, Yilwatda pledged to reposition the party for greater impact.
President Tinubu expressed appreciation for Ganduje’s contributions and hinted at future responsibilities for the former chairman.
“I gave him an assignment on the formation of a progressive doctrine – the progressive institute,” Tinubu said.“I think the National Secretary will help to revitalise that and coordinate. We can still take him as a consultant to work with the new chairman to do that.”
Reflecting on recent accomplishments, Tinubu referenced a notable critic who had acknowledged a 43 per cent improvement in revenue performance under his administration.
“One of our ardent critics at the earlier part of this administration reported the stride in the revenue—43 per cent achievement by now. I’m proud to say that the team is working. With peace and stability, we will do more,” he said.
He defended the spate of defections to the APC, framing them as pragmatic choices in a volatile political landscape.
“It is not a bad idea to abandon a sinking ship and be absent from a coalition of confusion,” he added.
The President also commended APC governors for their continued support and backed a motion to extend the party’s structural timeline and congresses to accommodate incoming members.
“I want to thank and pray for the governors of our party. Today, counting, I think we have 23, and still counting. More members are still coming,” he said.
Tinubu reaffirmed his commitment to steering the country toward economic recovery and stability, noting that the economy he inherited was in a state of disarray but has now gained traction.
He concluded by calling for a lasting legacy of development, tasking governors to collaborate with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to secure land for a new APC secretariat.
“We should leave a legacy of development. And the governors are here—23 of them—to help identify, with the Minister of FCT, an appropriate land for a befitting secretariat,” he said.“I think we should do that. I believe, without hesitation, the motion and the suggestion are carried.
