The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda, has said that it is false that defectors are seeking protection from legal battles by joining the ruling party, adding that no one is shielded from investigation or prosecution.
Yilwatda made the statement when he appeared on Channels Television’s Politics Today, and challenged the claim to show proof that the APC had sheltered any member from prosecution.
The APC chairman said, “Nobody is protected. “I don’t want to mention names but I know members of our party who are being prosecuted, who are in court every day. And you are telling me they are not members of the APC?”
He said that being a member of a party did not make one above the law and that the law must take its course. He also spoke on the presumption of innocence, adding that any person who is not proven guilty is deemed innocent by law.
“We assume that you are innocent until you are convicted because that is what the law says,” Yilwatda remarked. So we cannot go on as APC members and start denying people their fundamental human rights through severe prosecutions”.
“The APC chairman’s comments come as defections to the ruling party are on the rise, with critics alleging that politicians facing legal challenges are joining the APC to escape accountability.
Yilwatda did not respond directly to those charges but said the party’s attitude was that no member was above the law.
On internal wrangling in the party, Yilwatda stated that the APC had constituted committees to dialogue with dissatisfied stakeholders and address grievances.
He said the APC was attempting to handle divergent interests ahead of future elections and that differences in the party should not necessarily be seen as an indication of a collapse in the party’s structure.
He also stated that he was confident President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 Presidential election, and said the party was evaluating the Presidential Campaign Council list and will launch it soon.
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