APC Youths Threaten Protest if National Chairman Does Not Resign

By Samuel Ogidan

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Yelwatda Nentanwe, has been given a two-week ultimatum to resign or face mass protest by a youth faction within the ruling party.

The warning came from the All Progressives Congress Youth Solidarity Network (APC-YSN), which accused Nentanwe of failing the leadership test and presiding over a party that is steadily losing popularity across the country.

In a statement issued on Friday in Abuja by its National Coordinator, Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, the group said Nentanwe’s leadership has weakened the APC’s structure and made the re-election bid of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu more difficult.

“Nentanwe boasts that more governors are joining the APC, claiming it boosts the party’s popularity. But the truth is, if governors’ defections make the APC stronger, why is he blocking his own Governor, Caleb, from joining the party?” the statement queried.

The youth group accused the chairman of undermining unity within the APC, saying his comments about Governor Caleb Mutfwang — who defeated him in the 2023 governorship election — showed poor political judgment.

“For a national chairman to think any sitting governor lacks electoral value shows he does not understand Nigeria’s political terrain. He is still a political neophyte and should be relieved of the heavy responsibility of leading a ruling party,” the group stated.

The APC-YSN further alleged that the National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Bashiru, has been the one effectively running the party since Nentanwe assumed office, citing the mismanaged Ekiti State governorship primaries as an example of internal disarray.

They also accused Nentanwe of neglecting party staff, especially junior employees, saying there are plans for an internal protest at the national secretariat over poor welfare conditions.

“The party under Nentanwe is silent in terms of mobilising support for President Tinubu and his administration. Solidarity is dead in the APC, and the once-growing popularity among grassroots supporters is declining daily,” the group said.

Calling on President Tinubu to intervene, the group warned that failure by Nentanwe to resign within two weeks would lead to a massive demonstration at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.

“We shall mobilise thousands of APC supporters to shut down the National Secretariat and demand his exit,” the statement concluded.