Political analyst and Director of Politics at Arise News, Sumner Sambo, has described President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Nentawe Yilwatda as the new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a deliberate and skillful political move aimed at strengthening the ruling party’s electoral advantage ahead of 2027.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News FROM 07:56, Sambo pointed out that Yilwatda’s background as a former Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) gives him a unique understanding of Nigeria’s electoral processes, particularly at the grassroots level where votes are won and lost. According to him, this insider knowledge positions Yilwatda as a strategic asset to the APC, especially as the party prepares for upcoming congresses and a crucial general election.
Sambo noted that President Tinubu’s decision reflects a deep understanding of political timing and institutional leverage. By appointing someone who knows how INEC operates from the inside, the president has effectively placed the party in a stronger position to navigate electoral logistics and grassroots mobilization. He added that such a move was not accidental but the result of calculated political engineering.
However, Sambo also raised concerns about the broader implications for democratic fairness. He argued that appointing former electoral officials directly into partisan leadership roles undermines public confidence in the independence of electoral institutions. To safeguard electoral integrity, he recommended a mandatory cooling-off period of at least ten years before former electoral officers are allowed to join political parties or take up partisan roles.
In conclusion, Sambo stressed that while the appointment raises ethical questions, it represents a shrewd move by the president to recalibrate the APC’s leadership with a view toward electoral efficiency. He called on civil society and the opposition to keep a close watch on how Yilwatda leverages his electoral expertise within party politics.
In his words “President Tinubu was very skillful in getting someone who understands how INEC works, especially at the state level where the votes come from, to become the next APC National Chairman. That is political mastery.”
