Abuja — The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has accused opposition parties in Nigeria of focusing more on television appearances than on grassroots political mobilisation.
Yilwatda made the remarks on Sunday during an interview on Trust TV, while responding to questions on political organisation and allegations that the ruling party was working towards entrenching a one-party system.
“Opposition parties spend more time on TV talking,” the APC chairman said. “It is not our duty to help our enemies to grow. We can’t feed our enemies. They should labour; they should go to the streets.”
He explained that the APC’s political strength was built largely through extensive, behind-the-scenes mobilisation across the country rather than constant media engagement.
“Yesterday, I returned from Taraba. Tomorrow, I will be in Katsina. I am not receiving a governor; I am going for mobilisation. I am engaging people, talking to people,” he said.
According to him, the public often sees only the outcome of political efforts on television, while the real work happens quietly at the grassroots.
“What you see on TV is the outcome. The process is behind the scenes. Why can’t they also spend more time behind the scenes so we can see defectors from APC to their parties?” Yilwatda asked.
Addressing concerns that the APC is plotting to impose a one-party system, Yilwatda dismissed the claims, distancing the party from comments previously attributed to his predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
“No. If everybody in Nigeria supports the APC, we will be happy, but that does not mean a one-party system. We want people who are also challenging us,” he said.
He stressed that neither the APC nor any arm of government has taken steps to alter Nigeria’s constitutional or electoral framework to promote a single-party structure.
“As long as we have not amended the Constitution or the Electoral Act, and we still have 18 political parties, there is no one-party agenda,” he added.
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