Meet Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda: From Humanitarian Minister to APC national chairman
By Shalom KASIM
At the National Executive Council meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Thursday, 24 July 2025, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda was selected as the National Chairman, succeeding Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who resigned on June 27, 2025.
Yilwatda’s appointment returns the party chairmanship to the North Central zone.
Who is Yilwatda?
Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda was born on August 8, 1968, in Dungung, a village in Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State.
He attended Primary School in his hometown and completed his First School Leaving Certificate in 1981. For his secondary education, he moved to the well-known Boys’ Secondary School, Gindiri, where he sat for his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level in 1986.
After secondary school, Nentawe gained admission into the Federal University of Agriculture (now Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University), Makurdi, where he studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering and graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
READ ALSO: Professor Nentawe Yilwatda emerges new APC National Chairman
He moved to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi, where he earned a Master’s degree in Digital Systems Engineering. He later capped his formal academic journey with a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Before politics brought him national attention, Nentawe Yilwatda carved out a reputation as an engineer and respected academic. He is a COREN-certified Engineer, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Nigerian Society of Engineers, and the Solar Society of Nigeria.
He joined the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi as a lecturer in Electrical/Electronics Engineering, rising through the ranks to become a Professor. He was the ICT director at the university for 12 years and was a member of the university’s senate from 2006 to 2017.
In 2017, Nentawe was appointed the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Benue State for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by then-President Muhammadu Buhari. During his tenure, he pioneered the deployment of electronic voter authentication systems.
In December 2021, he resigned his position as Resident Electoral Commissioner for Benue State and formally declared his interest in partisan politics. He emerged as the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State.
In March 2023, Plateau State voted. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Caleb Mutfwang of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the poll, with Nentawe coming second, but he rejected the results, alleging widespread irregularities and declaring the outcome a stolen mandate.
He filed a petition before the Plateau State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, arguing that the election did not comply with the Electoral Act and accusing the PDP of manipulating results in certain local government areas.
The legal battle dragged through much of 2023, with weeks of witness testimony, forensic ballot inspection, and heavy media coverage.
In November 2023, the tribunal ruled in Nentawe’s favour, sacking Mutfwang and ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue a fresh certificate of return to Nentawe.
The PDP appealed to the Court of Appeal and then the Supreme Court. In January 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the tribunal’s ruling, reinstating Mutfwang as governor and closing the final chapter of Nentawe’s legal push.
In October 2024, President Bola Tinubu appointed him as Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Nentawe’s nomination came at a delicate moment. His predecessor, Betta Edu, had been sacked amid allegations of financial mismanagement, leaving the ministry mired in scandal and public distrust. He has served in that capacity until his recent nod to resume as the ruling party’s national chairman.
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