By Moses Okezie-Okafor
As Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), charts a course toward the 2027 general elections, it stands at a crucial crossroad. The resignation of Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as National Chairman has not only left behind large leadership shoes that many will struggle to fill properly but they also come with an opportunity to reimagine the party’s strategic direction midway into its second presidential mandate.
In other words, whoever emerges next must embody a unique mix of qualities, especially unflinching loyalty to the ideals of the party and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a proven track record of delivering electoral successes for the ruling party, a broad-based demographic appeal within the party and among Nigerians and a temperament equally at home with quelling conflicts and forging peace.
In the light of these parameters, and among the names in contention, none stands out more compellingly – on these objective parameters – than Yahaya Adoza Bello, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State.
A Proven Record of Delivering Electoral Victories
Political leadership is ultimately measured by results at the ballot box. In this regard, Bello’s record is singularly outstanding. Under his stewardship, Kogi State became a dependable bastion of APC support. In the 2023 general elections – amidst swirling headwinds, internal rivalries and the unprecedented currency redesign crisis that turned large segments of the electorate against the APC – Bello ensured a decisive victory for APC candidates. President Tinubu himself acknowledged this feat, telling Bello: ‘Despite all the gang-up, you were able to deliver Governor Ododo and APC, thumbs up.’
It bears recalling that Kogi State’s 2023 results stood in sharp contrast to the performance across the North Central states and many other parts of the country where the APC suffered defeats or near-defeats. Others were politically fragmented at the time and some were more or less dormant in national influence. Despite strong resistance, Bello delivered a resounding affirmation of the Tinubu mandate in Kogi.
In an era where electoral infrastructure, grassroots networks and trusted field operatives are the gold standard of political success, Bello’s capacity to win, repeatedly, cannot be overstated – and must no longer be wasted.
Unshakeable Loyalty to the Party and President
Loyalty – especially in a political system often susceptible to expedient alliances – has become a rare currency. Bello’s conduct after the APC Presidential Primary in which he also ran was exemplary. While many aspirants retreated into sullen inaction or hedged their bets, he did the opposite. He swiftly congratulated President Tinubu, converted his formidable campaign headquarters in Abuja into the Tinubu-Shettima Youth Campaign War Room and personally championed youth mobilization nationwide.
He did not merely endorse the Tinubu candidacy – he invested political capital, time and credibility in selling Renewed Hope to Nigeria’s young electorate. Those in the know confirm that his appointment as National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council was not a gift – but fitting recognition of trust earned and loyalty proven.
In today’s APC, where fidelity to the President’s vision is even more non-negotiable than ever, Bello – who has often remarked that the APC was his first political party and it will be his last – has demonstrated he can be counted upon to stand firm when it matters most.
Strategic Thinking and a Track Record of Growing the Party
What sets Yahaya Bello apart is not only his ability to win elections, but also his capacity to grow the party even in difficult seasons. When the APC suffered a severe leadership crisis in June 2020 that led to the ouster of the then National Working Committee, the party teetered on the edge of internal collapse. A climate of uncertainty prevailed, with the nation – especially the youth – rapidly losing confidence in the APC brand.
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, was inaugurated as Chairman of an interim management and extraordinary convention committee. Among its first strategic moves was to embark on fence-mending and a membership drive that would stabilize the party. Bello was entrusted with the critical mandate to lead a high-level committee charged with bringing youth, women and Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs) into the APC fold.
He delivered spectacularly. Under his leadership, the APC’s membership roll surged. It is estimated that about 40 million Nigerians, a majority of them young people, were consolidated or newly registered into the APC during that period – an achievement that earned him glowing commendation from the interim party leadership and from former President Buhari.
Thus, if we look in the rearview mirror, we will notice that at a time when the party stood at similar crossroads in the past, Bello’s organizational ingenuity and grassroots credibility helped to rescue the APC from potential oblivion. This is not anecdotal sentiment. It is documented party history. With such a track record, he remains the most viable option to lead the APC to new frontiers of growth and relevance.
Demographic and Generational Bridge Builder
Any party serious about the future must invest in the youth. Nigeria’s median age is below 19, and no political brand can thrive without connecting to this demographic. The Obidient Movement has since tapped into this demographic but it has notable constraints, including huge uncertainties about its political home cum electoral platform. This presents an excellent opportunity to the ruling Party if it can unveil a helmsman with proven credentials to connect with the youth.
Bello has an unparalleled record here. His work during the membership mobilization under the interim NWC and tenure as National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council both became high water marks for the most successful youth outreach in APC’s history, galvanizing a new generation to political participation.
The former Governor brings an age advantage and a generational resonance that other contenders simply cannot match. He straddles the divide between the elder statesmen of the party and the digitally savvy younger electorate whose aspirations will shape the 2027 contest. His fluency in the idioms of the youth – social media engagement, grassroots townhalls, innovative voter education, along with massive involvement of youth in political leadership and governance – makes him uniquely suited to lead APC’s reinvention.
A History of Political Innovation and Resilience
Bello is no stranger to building coalitions and navigating turbulence. While Governor in Kogi, he overcame entrenched opposition and internal divisions, resolved long-festering ethnic and communal cleavages and expanded APC’s base in both urban centers and rural communities in a way most would have thought impossible in 2015. In a political landscape where disunity often torpedoes electoral fortunes, Bello’s consensus-building instinct is a strategic asset.
His two terms as Governor of Kogi State demonstrated that he is both a fighter and a negotiator – and therefore a leader who can deploy firmness without forfeiting inclusion or alienating allies. Pundits, including this writer, strongly believe that with Bello as her next Chairman, the APC can even bring back some of those who have left her ranks for the coalition of aggregates currently trying to establish a beachhead against it.
Geopolitical Balancing and the North Central Advantage
The fact that Yahaya Bello also satisfies the geopolitical balancing considerations within the APC is also inescapable. With the Presidency in the South-West and the Senate Presidency in the South-South, the North Central remains the most natural zone for the National Chairmanship. Among the North Central states, Kogi stands out – not only because of its robust contribution to the APC’s 2023 victory but also because other states within the zone present contextual factors that shape their prospects.
Benue is already well-represented in the national leadership structure through the influential position of Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Plateau and Nasarawa, while significant in their own right, encountered electoral outcomes in 2023 that highlighted the need for further consolidation of the APC’s base in those states. Kwara has the distinction of producing the current Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, an important national role. Niger has capable leaders, though none with the same level of nationwide visibility and resonance as Yahaya Bello has emerged in this race. Put simply, Kogi is the zone’s logical anchor – and Yahaya Bello is its most electable, visible and tested leader.
Gathering Storms and Rocky Shores: Why Bello is the Tug-Boat the APC Needs
Indeed, the political horizon ahead of 2027 is gathering formidable headwinds. A new coalition, still strange bedfellows at the moment but making efforts to harmonise itself is coalescing. This evolving alignment – made up of formidable opposition figures like Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, as well as former APC stalwarts such as Nasir El-Rufai and Rotimi Amaechi – poses a credible threat not merely because of its collective clout but because it combines resources, regional strongholds and a shared grievance narrative.
If the APC is to face and vanquish such a broad-spectrum offensive, it requires a National Chairman who is not only fiercely loyal but also politically dexterous and battle-tested in coalition management. Politically speaking, the storms are gathering and the waves are billowing, but Yahaya Bello is a dauntless tug-boat with what it takes, along with the audacious spirit, to tow the APC superliner to safe harbour – through the treacherous rocks of a united opposition and into the calm waters of electoral victory in 2027.
A Foot Soldier with the Heart of a General
Yahaya Bello’s political story is not one of privilege or entitlement. It is a chronicle of service, doggedness and strategic sacrifice for party and country. In choosing its next National Chairman, the APC must look beyond sentiment and consider who has the skill, strength and credibility to shepherd the party through the next election cycle. On all objective parameters – performance, loyalty, proven capacity to attract new members and retain old ones, generational appeal, even geopolitical balance – Yahaya Bello towers above the field. In these defining times, the APC does not merely need a Chairman. It needs a builder, a fighter and a bridge.
In Yahaya Bello, it has all three.
Moses Okezie-Okafor, is Convener, APC South-East Strategic Engagement Team (ASSET) and a political strategist, leadership coach and advocate for inclusive governance within Nigeria’s democratic space. He writes from Abuja.