The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has warned political appointees serving under President Bola Tinubu to actively support the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general election or relinquish their appointments.

Yilwatda gave the warning on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving members of the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum, led by the Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, Dr Mustafa Jibrin, during a meeting on the group’s grassroots mobilisation strategy for the 2027 polls.

He said political appointees could not claim to be technocrats detached from partisan politics while occupying offices obtained through political appointments.

“It is you who will tell me that this commissioner is not working. Maybe he is working in the office, but politically he is zero in his ward. It is you who know whether this director-general may be working in the office, but politically he is zero back home,” Yilwatda said.

According to him, local government chairmen are better positioned than officials in Abuja to assess the political relevance and grassroots impact of government appointees.

The APC chairman stressed that political appointees must contribute to the party’s electoral success, noting that governance and politics are inseparable.

“We call them political appointees. There is a word ‘political’ there. They are not just technocrats. They are political appointees. You can’t be holding a political position and then say you are not a politician,” he said.

He likened such claims to “someone who has Yoruba or Kanuri tribal marks telling you that he is not a Yoruba or Kanuri man.”

Yilwatda maintained that those unwilling to participate in partisan politics should reject political appointments.

“If you don’t want to be a politician, don’t take a political appointment. We work to mobilise votes. Without the votes, you can’t be in office. That is why we need you to work with these people. Tell them they are not doing well. Tell them where we need to work harder. Tell them where we have leakages so that we can win the election,” he added.

The APC chairman assured the forum of the party’s support for its mobilisation efforts, including plans to inaugurate state coordinators and organise a mass endorsement rally for President Tinubu in Abuja ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We will support you. We will stand by you. We will ensure that we have a strong partnership that will give this party a strong victory in 2027,” he said.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Dr Mustafa Jibrin, said the Progressive Local Government Chairmen’s Forum had secured the support of more than 685 local government chairmen and 31 APC governors across the country.

He said the forum was targeting at least 70 per cent of the votes cast in the 2027 general election for the APC and disclosed plans to mobilise all 685 council chairmen and their councillors for a formal endorsement of President Tinubu’s re-election bid on a date to be announced by the party leadership.