The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed claims that he has been selected as President Bola Tinubu’s running mate for the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television, Yilwatda stated that the claim was false.
He asserted that the party does not plan on dropping Vice President Kashim Shettima, describing the claims as “raising dust where there is no dust at all.”
Yilwatda attributed the speculations to the opposition, insisting that it is not yet time for such discussions, as those decisions will only be made following the party’s primary.
He said, “People are trying to raise dust where there is no dust at all. Most of the speculation comes from the opposition.
When asked if the Tinubu/Shettima ticket was being retained, he replied that ‘nobody is discussing the issue of the vice president’
Meanwhile, Yilwatda has stated that the ongoing feud between the governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, and his estranged godfather, Nyesom Wike, does not fall within his jurisdiction.
He said this during an appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday while clarifying the party’s stance on the tension in Rivers State.
He explained that Wike is in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Fubara is in the APC, which is why he cannot interfere.
“When it comes to the issue between Wike and Fubara, it’s not within my purview as the national chairman of APC. Wike is in PDP, Fubara is in APC,” he said.
He further explained that the ongoing impeachment issue pertains solely to APC members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, which is led by the party.
“The issue of impeachment is not about Wike now; it concerns APC House of Assembly members. That is something I can discuss. It’s an internal matter, and we have mechanisms within APC to resolve such issues,” he added.
The chairman emphasised the need for discretion and maturity in handling internal party matters.
“We don’t put these discussions in the public. Issues can be resolved through in-house activities that require maturity to address. Wike is not a problem in APC,” he said.