APC National Chairman Attacks Governors, Sparks Backlash from Opposition

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has stirred controversy after urging Nigerians to hold their state governors and local government chairmen accountable for the hardship they face, arguing that subnational governments now receive significantly higher allocations from the federation account.

Speaking on Monday in Abuja during the public presentation of Vicious Red Circle, a book on human trafficking authored by Alex Oriaku, Yilwatda said governors currently receive up to four times more funds than they did in the past. He noted that monthly disbursements to states and local councils have increased from about ₦400 billion to over ₦2.2 trillion, calling on citizens to demand greater transparency and development outcomes.

“No governor in Nigeria receives less than three times what they used to obtain before,” Yilwatda said. “They can do more for their people. Speak to your governors and local government chairmen—let them do more.”

The APC chairman, who assumed office amid growing criticism of the government’s economic policies, defended President Bola Tinubu’s administration, insisting that it is on the right path toward national recovery.

Beyond the political discourse, the event also highlighted the persistent scourge of human trafficking in Nigeria. Despite ongoing efforts by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) since its establishment in 2003, Nigeria remains a source, transit, and destination country for victims of forced labour, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude.

The Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed, described human trafficking as one of the most dangerous transnational crimes, comparable to drug and arms trafficking. He emphasised the need for a “whole-of-society approach” to tackle the menace, urging collaboration among government agencies, civil society organisations, religious institutions, and communities.

Reviewing Oriaku’s 198-page book, Dr. Ike Neliaku, President of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), linked corruption and manipulation to the perpetuation of human trafficking, calling on Nigerians to reject the “culture of silence” that enables such crimes.

In his remarks, Oriaku said the book exposes the cycle of exploitation and silence that sustains trafficking networks. “It’s a circle that preys on the desperate, the vulnerable, the marginalised, and the unseen,” he said. “I wrote it to build a bridge of empathy between the abstract horror of a global crisis and the beating heart of a single human story.”

Meanwhile, responding to Yilwatda’s comments, the Chief Press Secretary to Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Oguwuike Nwachuku, said the governor has been using the increased allocations to improve infrastructure and welfare in the state. He noted that Imo workers now enjoy a minimum wage of ₦104,000.

However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) accused Yilwatda of hypocrisy, saying the APC cannot play both the ruling party and the opposition. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the APC chairman’s remarks were disingenuous, given that his party continues to welcome governors accused of mismanagement into its fold.

“Why is the APC chairman sounding so helpless?” Abdullahi asked. “The APC cannot play both the ruling party and the opposition. If he knows these governors have been profligate and have robbed their people, why has the party been welcoming them with open arms?”