APC Chairman defends Obi's party-hopping since 2014, says he made the moves voluntarily

Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, has countered allegations that the ruling party is behind the crisis and defections in opposition parties, stating that Peter Obi, the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, has been switching parties since 2014 without any influence from the APC.

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Yilwatda made these comments during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, in response to claims by opposition figures that the APC is weakening rival parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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The APC chairman emphasized that Peter Obi's movement across parties predates the current administration, and therefore cannot be blamed on the ruling party, citing that Obi started moving from his party in 2014, during the time of President Jonathan.

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Yilwatda pointed out that it is illogical to assume the APC has been chasing Obi from one party to another, saying "Nobody in APC chased Peter Obi out of PDP, nobody from APC chased Obi out of the Labour Party, nobody in APC chased him out of the Labour Party to ADC or chased him out of ADC again to NDC."

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He further stated that the APC has not been involved in Obi's movements, as he began switching parties in 2014, long before the current administration took office, and questioned how the APC could have been responsible when it was still an opposition party from 2015 onwards.

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Yilwatda's comments come amid accusations by Obi and other opposition leaders that the APC is engineering internal crises within opposition parties and encouraging defections to weaken rivals before the 2027 elections.

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In response to claims that the APC was behind the crises in the Labour Party, African Democratic Congress, and other opposition parties, Yilwatda described the problems as self-inflicted, stating "This is a group of people who have a self-inflicted wound, every day, they move from party to party."

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Yilwatda drew a distinction between the formation of the APC and the current opposition coalition, saying the APC was built around a common vision rather than personal ambition, with former Lagos State governor and current President Bola Tinubu serving as the rallying point when the APC was formed in 2013.

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At the time, Tinubu was not seeking the presidency, unlike the current opposition leaders who are searching for platforms that can guarantee them electoral tickets, according to Yilwatda.

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He explained that Obi's movements are driven by his desire for an automatic ticket, citing his switch from the Labour Party to the ADC, and then to the NDC, where he eventually secured a ticket.

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Yilwatda argued that if the APC were truly trying to destabilize Obi, it would have prevented him from getting a ticket, but the party does not have that kind of control.

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He also denied that APC members had infiltrated opposition parties to create instability, stating "There's no single member of APC that is in ADC, no single member of APC that is in NDC."

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As national chairman, Yilwatda acknowledged that recruiting politicians from rival parties is part of his responsibility, and when asked about actively seeking defections, he replied, "Of course, we do it, we move around."

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Yilwatda described this as part of his role, saying "That's even the role, that's my role as national party chairman, it's part of my role… to galvanise and mobilise the party."

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He rejected suggestions that politicians who join the APC automatically escape scrutiny over corruption allegations, saying "Never, most people who are in APC have still been prosecuted."

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Obi's recent political movements have sparked debate over the stability of opposition parties, with the former Labour Party presidential candidate moving to the ADC before joining the NDC, where he emerged as the party's presidential candidate for the 2027 election.