The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, says the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) is no match for the ruling party.

Yilwatda spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, downplaying the electoral value of some opposition coalition leaders like the ADC National Chairman and ex-Senate President, David Mark.

He expressed confidence that the ruling party is a party to beat, citing some factors that have been attracting opposition governors into the APC fold.

“We have never asked anybody, we have never appealed to any civil servant. Nobody has forced any civil servant in a letter, verbal, you can bring one video to that effect and I will apologise. Maybe the opposition is forcing civil servants so they will have numbers,” he stated.

“ADC is not a match at all (for the APC). For every one person they have, we have five, six of them. If they have David Mark as former Senate President, we have Ahmad Lawan, we have two former Senate President from the South East,” he stated.

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He dismissed claims that the APC is jittery of the opposition, stressing that contrary to insinuations, the ruling party is not forcefully recruiting civil servants into its fold.

The APC Chairman explained that the party is not worried by the caliber of opposition leaders in the ADC, including the likes of ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; ex-Anambra governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former Osun governor, Rauf Aregbesola.

NELFund

During the show, he said the APC-led Federal Government has embarked on some intervention programmes to cater for the needs of Nigerians.

Yilwatda, an engineer-turned politician, cited the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) initiative, emphasizing its impact on students and families across Nigeria.

According to the APC chair, this adjustment helps students manage the ongoing challenges associated with paying their school fees.

“Most students in Nigeria have difficulty paying their school fees. I know of many who had to withdraw from universities because they couldn’t afford it,” he said.

He explained that under the NELFUND initiative, students can now access loans that cover their tuition fees, while also receiving a monthly allowance of N20,000, whether they are in school or on holiday.

“I know a number of them who even support their parents back home, invest in farming, and during holidays, help pay the school fees of their younger siblings in secondary schools within their communities,” he added.

According to Prof. Yilwatda, over a million students nationwide currently benefit from this program.

“It’s available to anybody in Nigeria. If you’re a student struggling with school fees, register your university and put your name forward to access the student loan. We offset your entire school fees, and you get N20,000 every month,” he said.

He described the program as a social protection system, supporting households and parents across the country.

“These are households, these are parents. Over a million students have access to it, and all their parents are looking forward to more support through NELFUND,” he stated.

The APC chairman also touched on other social welfare programs, including health insurance, which has benefited 4 to 5 million Nigerians.