National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has described his predecessor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, as “Co-Chairman” of the ruling party.
Yilwatda said he would rely on the former Kano governor’s experience, political networks, and guidance to strengthen and consolidate the APC.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday when Ganduje paid him a condolence visit over the death of his mother, Yilwatda explained that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had directed him to work closely with the immediate past National Chairman.
“My doors are open, the office is open, the partnership remains open, and the friendship remains open,” Yilwatda said. “President Tinubu has asked me to work with you in partnership. I told him I would regard you still as a Chairman in partnership with me. You are still the Co-Chairman of the APC.
“I am only a coordinator. My duty is simply to coordinate the membership of this party. But the party belongs to all of us.”
The APC Chairman, who noted Ganduje’s long-standing role in Nigerian politics since the days of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), said the former Kano governor remains a vital source of wisdom and political direction.
“I will depend heavily on your experience, your connections, and your contacts to ensure we solidify this party and build it together, so that we can win more elections,” he added.
On his part, Ganduje stressed that his cordial relationship with Yilwatda should serve as a model for successor-predecessor harmony in Nigerian politics.
He said: “The problem between the successor and his predecessor has always been an issue in many states since 1999. Not only in governorship, but also in other political positions.
“Our relationship is the beginning of solving that kind of problem, not only in the APC but in the wider atmosphere of democracy. I congratulate you on your new appointment.”