APC’s Special National Convention: A Masterclass of Political Theatre

APC’s Special National Convention: A Masterclass of Political Theatre

By Abimbola Tooki 

There are ordinary political gatherings, and then there are moments that rise above routine and announce themselves with unmistakable significance.

And if the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Eagle Square, Abuja proved anything, it is that what unfolded there was far more than the usual parade of speeches, applause and recycled slogans. It was something weightier, more intentional and far more symbolic: a declaration that the ruling party is not just reorganising itself, but actively trying to define what political order, party discipline and internal democracy should look like in contemporary Nigeria.

For those who have attended conventions across the country over the years, where confusion often arrives before the delegates, where microphones malfunction in solidarity with factional disputes, and where “unity” sometimes exists only on banners, this APC convention stood out for a very different reason: it worked. And it worked beautifully.

From the planning to the sequencing, from the screening process to the atmosphere at the convention ground, this was one political exercise that bore the marks of preparation, clarity and confidence. It had structure. It had rhythm. It had authority. Most importantly, it had the unmistakable aura of a party that came not to quarrel with itself, but to reaffirm itself before the nation.

At the heart of this defining moment was the emergence and screening of Professor Nentawe Yilwatda as National Chairman of the party, alongside Senator Ajibola Basiru as National Secretary and other members of the National Working Committee.

And what a beginning it was.

*The Screening That Felt More Like a Coronation of Confidence*

If anyone still harboured doubts about the level of trust and acceptance Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda enjoys within the APC family, the screening exercise put such doubts to rest, politely, elegantly, and almost playfully.

Ordinarily, a screening exercise is expected to be tense. It is designed, after all, to test, probe and verify. But what played out was something between a constitutional ritual and a warm family reunion. 

The questions came, yes. The formalities were observed, certainly. But the overwhelming mood in the room was unmistakable: this was a candidate the party already believed in.

It was not so much an interrogation as it was an affirmation. One could almost hear the committee saying, in effect: “Professor, we know why you are here. We know what you have done. We know who you are. Please just sit down and allow us enjoy this moment.” And enjoy it they did.

The screening room became a theatre of political endorsement, with leading party figures taking turns not merely to question Yilwatda, but to commend his intellect, discipline, humility, competence and steady-handed leadership.

Former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, in a powerful intervention, described Yilwatda’s appearance before the committee as fully in line with democratic principles, while also noting that his pedigree, trajectory and institutional memory made him exceptionally qualified for the role.

It was the kind of endorsement that says: “Yes, due process must be followed, but let no one pretend we do not already know quality when we see it.”

Then came Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, whose trademark candour injected both seriousness and spice into the proceedings. In one of the more memorable moments, he challenged the notion of “friends of the party,” insisting that loyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should translate into actual membership of the APC, not sentimental side commentary from the political sidelines.

His point was clear, sharp and unmistakable: in politics, affection is appreciated, but membership is better.

To paraphrase the spirit of his intervention: if you love the groom so much, why are you still outside the wedding hall? It was vintage Orji Kalu, blunt, practical, humorous, and politically useful.

Former Bauchi State Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, brought warmth and philosophical depth, describing Yilwatda as a man of unusual humility, a professor of uncommon grace, and perhaps one of the youngest and most intellectually distinguished party chairmen in the country’s democratic history.

And by the time Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, who chaired the screening committee, put the now-famous motion to vote, that the Chairman be allowed to “take a bow and go”, the room had effectively moved from screening to celebration.

No objections.

No drama.

No dissent.

Only laughter, admiration and consensus.

In Nigerian politics, that alone deserves its own standing ovation.

*A Party as an Institution*

What made Prof. Yilwatda’s screening remarks especially significant was that he did not merely bask in the warmth of elite endorsement. He used the moment to articulate something more enduring: his belief in the supremacy of party systems over individuals.

And in truth, that may be the most important takeaway from this convention. At a time when many political parties in Nigeria remain vulnerable to personality cults, factional sabotage, parallel structures and endless litigations, Yilwatda’s emphasis on process, order and internal rules was not just rhetorically appealing, it was politically strategic.

His words were deliberate and firm:

In the APC, everybody is a subject of the system and how it operates. That statement may sound simple, but in Nigeria’s political context, it is almost revolutionary.

He spoke repeatedly of due process, transparent systems, internal democracy, arbitration instead of litigation, and the need to build a party where structures are stronger than sentiments. And for a party often judged not just by its electoral strength but by the quality of its internal management, this was an important message to send.

Even more remarkable was his assertion that from ward congresses to local government congresses, state congresses and zonal processes, the APC had recorded minimal legal disputes, with most disagreements resolved internally through arbitration.

In a country where some parties can produce three chairmen before breakfast and four court injunctions before lunch, that is no small feat.

Yilwatda’s argument was straightforward: the APC must not merely be the biggest party; it must become the most organised party.

That is the kind of institutional ambition that, if sustained, can redefine the future of party politics in Nigeria.

*A Youthful Party with a Future to Match*

One of the most compelling dimensions of Yilwatda’s intervention was his data-driven presentation of the APC as a party with a strong youth base and an expanding demographic future.

For years, Nigerian political discourse has often framed young people as if they exist only in opposition spaces, digital activism, or protest culture. But Yilwatda offered a different picture, one grounded in emerging party registration data and internal membership mapping.

According to him, 50 per cent of APC members are between the ages of 18 and 35, while those aged 50 and above constitute only 18 percent of the party’s membership. That is not just an interesting statistic; it is a politically consequential one.

It suggests that the APC, despite being the ruling party and often caricatured as old, establishment-heavy and elite-driven, may in fact be building a surprisingly youthful organisational base. And if that data is effectively harnessed, the implications for mobilisation, messaging, digital engagement and electoral strategy are enormous.

Yilwatda also pointed to the increasing number of younger elected representatives on the APC platform, especially in the House of Representatives, as evidence that the party is not merely talking about youth inclusion, it is increasingly producing it.

In essence, he was making a broader political argument: the APC is not just a party of incumbency; it is a party of succession and continuity. That is a powerful narrative heading into 2027.

*Women, Inclusion and the Politics of Representation*

To his credit, Prof. Yilwatda did not romanticise the party’s record on inclusion. While acknowledging that women remain underrepresented in some elected spaces, he also made a clear commitment to deepen the place of women within party structures and governance processes.

His invocation of the 35 percent affirmative action principle was both timely and necessary.

Inclusion, he suggested, must not be reduced to tokenism or conference rhetoric. It must be built into the architecture of party life itself

.

That is an important point.

A party seeking to project itself as the vehicle of national stability cannot afford to look socially narrow or structurally exclusionary. If APC must consolidate nationally, it must continue broadening its appeal not only across regions and interests, but also across gender, generation and social identity.

And if the convention was a celebration of continuity, it was also a reminder that renewal must be inclusive to be meaningful.

*The Geography of Strength: APC’s National Footprint*

Perhaps one of the strongest political arguments advanced by Yilwatda was the assertion that the APC remains the only truly national political party in Nigeria.

That claim, whether one agrees with every shade of it or not, is not without substance.

From the North-West to the North-East, from the South-West to the South-East, from the North-Central to the South-South, the APC has undeniably maintained a visible and active presence across all six geopolitical zones — not just in theory, but in electoral performance, political negotiations, leadership visibility and organisational reach.

Yilwatda pointed to by-election victories across multiple regions as proof of this spread, insisting that no other party has matched that breadth of competitive presence in the last year.

That matters.

Because in Nigeria, where parties often become trapped within regional comfort zones, ethnic echo chambers or temporary coalition arrangements, national spread is not just an organisational advantage, it is a governing asset.

It allows a party to speak with broader legitimacy, negotiate with wider confidence and contest elections with greater structural elasticity.

The APC understands this, and the convention seemed designed in part to dramatise it.

*Then Came Eagle Square, and the Party Found Its Theatre*

If the screening exercise gave the convention its institutional credibility, the grand event at Eagle Square gave it its spectacle, soul and symbolism.

And politics, after all, is not only about systems. It is also about stagecraft.

The convention proper had the feel of a party at ease with itself, celebratory without being chaotic, energetic without being disorderly, grand without losing its political message.

Delegates arrived not with the anxious body language of people expecting trouble, but with the enthusiasm of participants entering a moment they believed mattered. There was colour, movement, coordination and that unmistakable convention buzz,  the kind that reminds you that politics, in Nigeria, is still one of the country’s most energetic public theatres.

But beyond the music, banners, chants and speeches, there was also a palpable sense that this was a convention with intention.

The theme “Unity in Progress: Consolidating the Renewed Hope Agenda” was not mere decoration. It was the philosophical frame around which the entire event was built.

And then, as expected, came the presence that transformed the atmosphere from important to iconic.

*Tinubu the Father, Tinubu the Centre of Gravity*

The arrival and presence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave the convention a special political weight that cannot be overstated.

As the acknowledged leader and “overall father” of the party, Tinubu’s presence did not merely complete the event, it elevated it.

He remains, for better or worse depending on one’s partisan location, the central gravitational force around which the APC continues to organise itself. His political imprint on the party is foundational. 

His strategic reach remains extensive. And his ability to shape the mood, confidence and directional energy of the APC remains profound.

At Eagle Square, his presence brought aura, authority and symbolism.

It also brought reassurance.

In politics, there are moments when a leader’s physical presence says more than a dozen communiqués ever could.

 Tinubu’s attendance communicated continuity, confidence and command. It reminded party faithful that the movement he helped build is still firmly under watch, still ideologically tethered, and still preparing for the battles ahead.

His presence gave the convention a presidential glow and the delegates responded accordingly. The applause was not mechanical. It was emotional.

The symbolism was not accidental. It was strategic.

And the message was unmistakable: the APC is not retreating; it is regrouping and rearming politically for the future.

*An Acceptance Speech Rooted in Burden, Not Vanity*

When Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda eventually delivered his acceptance speech as National Chairman, he struck a tone that was both solemn and inspiring.

He did not speak like a man intoxicated by title. He spoke like a man acutely aware that political office, especially within a ruling party, comes with expectations heavy enough to humble even the most ambitious.

One of the strongest lines from his speech was his declaration that he does not see the office as “a throne with a crown, but as a duty with a burden.”

That line landed.

Because in a political culture where many see office first as prestige and only later as responsibility, it was refreshing to hear a party chairman frame leadership in terms of service, trust and accountability.

His speech was rich with themes of unity, internal democracy, discipline, youth inclusion, women’s participation, national expansion and electoral preparedness. But perhaps its most urgent undertone was this: the road to 2027 has already begun.

And in that regard, the convention was not merely retrospective. It was preparatory.

Yilwatda’s message was clear: victory in 2027 will not be improvised. It must be organised from the ward upward, defended by unity, energised by performance and sustained by credible party structures.

That is exactly the kind of message a ruling party ought to be sending at this stage of the electoral cycle.

*A Convention That Looked Like Governance Training*

What made this APC convention especially noteworthy is that it felt, in many respects, like more than a party gathering. It felt like a miniature rehearsal of governance itself.

There was planning.

There was coordination.

There was process.

There was chain of command.

There was communication.

There was message discipline.

In other words, there was evidence of a party trying not just to campaign well, but to administer itself competently.

And that matters because parties are, in many ways, training grounds for governance. A chaotic party often produces chaotic public leadership. A disciplined party, at its best, can produce more coherent governing instincts.

No convention can solve every internal contradiction. No political party is ever entirely free of tensions, ambitions or future fault lines. APC is no exception. But if conventions are meant to reassure members, project strength, settle nerves and signal direction, then this one succeeded by every meaningful measure.

It was organised.

It was confident.

It was memorable.

And yes, it was refreshingly free of the sort of political drama that Nigerians often attend conventions half-expecting, like people going to a wedding just in case somebody objects.

Nobody objected. The bride and groom smiled.

The in-laws danced.

And the family portrait came out beautifully.

In the end, the APC Special National Convention was far more than a routine gathering to elect party officers. It was a bold political statement,a declaration of order, unity, confidence and readiness for the future.

The screening of Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the emergence of Senator Ajibola Basiru, and the composition of the new National Working Committee all pointed to a party determined not just to hold power, but to strengthen its internal structures and justify its national dominance.

What happened at Eagle Square was not just a convention; it was a signal, that the APC is organised, focused and preparing deliberately for the battles ahead.

Well-planned.

Well-coordinated.

Well-received.

Tooki is a founder at  BusinessWorld Newspaper and Special Adviser to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress

(Media and Communications Strategy)