The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, says more than 10 million Nigerians who benefited from the Federal Government’s N75,000 conditional cash transfer programme do not have access to mobile phones or social media.
Yilwatda made the statement on Saturday while responding to questions from journalists after a three-day retreat of the APC National Executive Council in Maiduguri, Borno State.
He said the President Bola Tinubu administration had implemented projects in areas including road infrastructure and student loans, while also carrying out humanitarian interventions such as the conditional cash transfer programme.
“We have given N75,000 to over 10 million Nigerians across the country using the conditional cash transfer under the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
“Mind you, these people who are poor and vulnerable don’t have telephone to make call, they are not on social media. They don’t have television. They cannot come and challenge and discuss as we are doing here, but they are out there,” Yilwatda said.
The APC chairman added that the government was also constructing roads across the country and paying workers engaged in the projects.
Speaking on the party’s NEC retreat, Yilwatda said the meeting reviewed the affairs of the APC from the national level down to its state, local government, ward and polling-unit structures.
He said the review showed that the party was prepared for the 2027 general elections.
“At the retreat, the party also had a deep dive into the party affairs at the national, state, local government, ward and down to polling units. After we reviewed the performance of the party, we affirmed that the party is strong and prepared for the 2027 general election,” he said.
According to Yilwatda, the NEC also passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and other APC candidates who emerged from the party’s primaries for the 2027 elections.
He said the party also resolved to strengthen its reconciliation efforts, urging state chapters that had yet to establish reconciliation committees to do so.
“We resolved to continue reconciliation where we need to make reconciliation. We encouraged the state chapters to constitute reconciliation committees where they have not done it to ensure that we consolidate the party towards winning and to sustain the gains that we had in the previous elections,” he said.
Yilwatda said the party would also take a leading role in its campaign activities by communicating what the administration had done across the country.
He called on Nigerians to continue supporting the APC and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
The APC chairman also expressed condolences to the government and people of Niger State over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners who died in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
“First, we extend our deepest condolences to the people of Niger State, the government and the good people of the state over the loss of the 37 miners in the state. Our prayers and hearts are with the people of Niger State over the loss,” he said.
