APC chairman insists Tinubu is fit to contest 2027 presidential election

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has insisted that President Bola Tinubu is physically fit to contest the 2027 presidential election.

Yilwatda dismissed concerns about the President’s health, saying there was no reason to question his fitness for another term in office.

He spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Monday.

The APC chairman also cautioned against interpreting isolated criticisms of Tinubu as a reflection of widespread opposition to his administration.

Tinubu was elected president in February 2023 after securing 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 6,984,520 votes.

He was sworn in on May 29, 2023, and is seeking another four-year term in the 2027 election.

On the controversy surrounding the APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, Yilwatda said Christians engaged by the party were comfortable with the arrangement.

The criticism centred on concerns about religious representation and the exclusion of Christians from the two highest positions on the ticket.

On the President’s absence from some campaign rallies, the APC chairman said Tinubu had constitutional responsibilities that would not allow him to attend every political engagement.

He explained that some government officials had been encouraged to participate in selected rallies to ensure that official duties were not affected by campaign activities.

Yilwatda said Tinubu’s earlier decision not to attend every rally should not be viewed as a sign of weakness or an inability to lead the party’s re-election campaign.

The APC chairman also defended the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima, rejecting claims that the arrangement had sidelined Christians under the current administration.

“Most Christians that we’ve engaged and we’ve spoken to them, they are very okay with the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“The thought and most Christians feared that the Muslim-Muslim ticket may suppress their voices, but their voices are heard loud and clear now,” he said.

He further argued that Christians had not been subjected to molestation on account of Tinubu’s religion during his three years in office.