The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has clarified the party’s leadership structure at the state level, stating that governors are recognised as the leaders of the party in their respective states, including Rivers State.
Yilwatda made the clarification during an interview on Channels Television aired on Friday, January 1, 2026, while responding to questions on the party’s hierarchy in the southern part of the country.
Asked specifically who heads the APC in Rivers State, the national chairman said the party operates a uniform structure nationwide, with governors providing leadership at the state level.
“In all the states, we have the state governors. They lead their parties in their own respective states,” he said, adding that this arrangement is a deliberate policy of the APC. “In APC, we give that privilege to the governors.”
However, Yilwatda stressed that the leadership role accorded to governors is guided by principles of inclusion and collective participation, particularly where there are other influential party figures.
“At the same time, we normally ask the governors, where we have leaders at national level, to respect inclusion in all the states,” he said.
He cautioned against the concentration of authority, noting that leadership within the party does not translate to the exclusion of other stakeholders. “You being the leader doesn’t mean that you can disenfranchise people who are within the state,” he added.
The APC chairman said the party deliberately creates space for broad participation, describing inclusion as a core element of its internal governance.
Drawing a parallel with his own role, Yilwatda described the office of the national chairman as largely coordinative. “Just like I’m more or less a coordinator,” he said. “As National Chairman of the party, I only coordinate what’s happening at the local government and state levels.”
His comments come amid ongoing discussions over party leadership and influence within the APC across several states.
