Appointees of President Bola Tinubu’s administration have been issued a stern warning by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that they are expected to either actively support and campaign for the party or face the possibility of their resignation.
On Wednesday in Abuja, while receiving members of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum, chaired by Dr. Mustafa Jibrin of Niger State’s Chanchaga Local Government Area, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the party’s national chairman, issued the warning.
As the 2027 general election approached, the forum apprised the APC chairman of the party’s preparations to mobilise the grassroots.
You can’t profess to be a technocrat and then shirk your political duties. He firmly stated that accepting a political job entails fully embodying the responsibilities of a politician.
If you do not wish to be involved in politics, the APC chairman added, you should not accept a political post.
The national chair of the APC pleaded with the chairmen of local governments to keep tabs on the political careers of government appointees in their areas and expose those who aren’t doing their jobs to rally the people behind the party.
He thinks that the best way to determine if political appointees in a ward are actually helping the party is to ask the council chairmen of such wards.
When it comes to grassroots politics, you know who’s delivering. No matter how well an appointee is doing on the job, it will be problematic if they don’t engage with the people in their ward politically. He emphasised that taking on political duties is an inevitable consequence of accepting a political post.
The success of the APC in the 2027 elections, according to Yilwatda, will depend more on successful mobilisation of the grassroots than on administrative performance alone.
He begged the chairmen of the local governments to expose the APC’s shortcomings, point out where party appointees were failing, and suggest ways the party could improve for the next election.
As you work to mobilise, know that you have our complete backing. He went on to say that the party will back the swearing-in of your state coordinators and collaborate with you to plan a large-scale endorsement rally in Abuja in favour of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.