The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed claims that the ruling party is responsible for the internal crises and defections affecting opposition parties, insisting that the APC had no role in the political movements of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Yilwatda said Obi had been changing political parties since 2014, long before the APC came to power at the federal level, and therefore it was wrong to accuse the ruling party of engineering the current challenges facing opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC chairman made the remarks on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television while responding to allegations by opposition leaders that the ruling party was deliberately weakening rival political parties through internal crises and defections.
His comments come at a time of heightened political activities as parties continue to reposition themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, with several politicians changing party affiliations and new alliances emerging across the country.
According to Yilwatda, Obi’s movement from one political platform to another cannot be blamed on the APC because it began years before President Bola Tinubu’s administration came into office.
He argued that the former Anambra State governor had repeatedly moved from one party to another based on his political interests.
“Nobody in APC chased Peter Obi out of PDP. Nobody from APC chased Obi out of the Labour Party. Nobody in APC chased him out of the Labour Party to ADC or chased him out of ADC again to NDC.
“He started moving from his party long before now, during the time of President Jonathan in 2014. It means that APC has been the person chasing him from 2015 till date, when we were even opposition?” he said.
Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party, has since emerged as the presidential candidate of the NDC after leaving the Labour Party amid its prolonged leadership crisis. Before joining the Labour Party, he was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The APC chairman maintained that the internal disagreements affecting the Labour Party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other opposition parties were self-inflicted and not the result of any interference by the ruling party.
“This is a group of people who have a self-inflicted wound. Every day, they move from party to party,” he said.
Yilwatda also rejected allegations that the APC had infiltrated opposition parties to create confusion or encourage divisions.
According to him, there are no APC members operating within either the ADC or the NDC to destabilise those parties.
“There’s no single member of APC that is in ADC. No single member of APC that is in NDC,” he said.
He drew a comparison between the formation of the APC in 2013 and the current efforts by opposition politicians to build alliances ahead of the next general election.
According to him, the APC was founded on a shared vision by leaders from different political parties who came together to offer Nigerians an alternative platform.
He said President Bola Tinubu, then a former governor of Lagos State, served as the rallying point for the coalition even though he was not seeking the presidency at the time.
Yilwatda argued that the current opposition coalition was different because, in his view, many of its leaders were mainly interested in securing presidential tickets rather than building a united political movement.
Referring again to Obi’s political journey, he said the former governor left the Labour Party for the ADC before eventually moving to the NDC after concluding that he could not secure an automatic presidential ticket in the ADC.
“When he left Labour Party, he moved to ADC. He came to ADC, he discovered that he couldn’t get an automatic ticket. That’s why he left to NDC. And in NDC now, he has gotten his ticket,” he said.
The APC chairman further argued that if the ruling party truly had the influence being alleged by opposition leaders, Obi would not have succeeded in obtaining the NDC presidential ticket.
“If anyone wanted to destabilise Obi, we would have stopped him from getting a ticket if we were the people doing it. But we don’t have that control,” he added.
The issue of defections has become one of the major talking points in Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
Since the inauguration of the current administration, several federal and state lawmakers, governors and other political office holders have switched parties, with many joining the APC.
These defections have sparked criticism from opposition parties, which accuse the ruling party of using state power and political influence to weaken rivals.
The APC has consistently denied the allegations, insisting that politicians are joining the party voluntarily because they believe in its programmes and leadership.
While denying involvement in the internal affairs of opposition parties, Yilwatda acknowledged that persuading politicians to join the APC is one of his constitutional responsibilities as the party’s national chairman.
Asked whether the APC was actively seeking new members from rival parties, he answered in the affirmative.
“Of course, we do it. We move around,” he said.
He explained that mobilising support and expanding the party’s membership were key responsibilities of the office he occupies.
“That’s even the role. That’s my role as national party chairman. It’s part of my role… To galvanise and mobilise the party,” he added.
Yilwatda also dismissed claims that politicians facing corruption allegations automatically receive protection after joining the APC.
The allegation has frequently been raised by critics who argue that some politicians defect to the ruling party to shield themselves from prosecution.
However, the APC chairman insisted that party membership does not stop anti-corruption agencies from carrying out investigations or prosecutions.
“Never. Most people who are in APC have still been prosecuted,” he said.
The exchange reflects the increasingly heated political debate ahead of the 2027 elections, with both the ruling party and opposition leaders trading accusations over defections, internal crises and the future of Nigeria’s democratic process.
For now, however, the APC maintains that the challenges facing opposition parties are internal matters and not the result of any deliberate effort by the ruling party to undermine its political rivals.