Barrister Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, has once again demonstrated what many have come to regard as his habitual penchant for controversy, this time by taking aim at the much-respected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.
His latest outburst, contained in a meme video circulating online, sought to denigrate the APC chairman for doing what any responsible party leader is expected to do: defend the policies of the Tinubu administration and promote the ideals of the ruling party he was elected to lead. In the process, Dalung appeared determined to question the political and academic credentials of a man whose profile is already well known and widely acknowledged across the country.
Professor Yilwatda’s academic accomplishments and political experience have been in the public space for decades. These credentials have, no doubt, played a significant role in his appointments to important national offices by successive administrations. It is therefore unsurprising that President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu found him worthy of leading the ruling party at a time when the APC required steady hands, intellect, character and strategic leadership.
That the President, party caucus and Progressive Governors’ Forum settled on Professor Yilwatda despite competing interests speaks volumes. It was a decision informed not by sentiment, but by competence, exposure, reputation and the capacity to unify a complex political organisation.
Since assuming office, Professor Yilwatda has justified the confidence reposed in him. Under his stewardship, the APC has recorded victories in by-elections across the country and strengthened its position as the dominant political force in Nigeria.
The party’s National Executive Council has become more cohesive and purposeful, while its political reach remains formidable, with control of the majority of governorship seats and strong representation in both chambers of the National Assembly.
Beyond politics, Yilwatda has shown himself to be an effective manager of both human and material resources. He has combined academic distinction with practical political leadership, proving that scholarship and governance can indeed go hand in hand.
Equally commendable is his readiness to boldly and eloquently defend the programmes of the Federal Government whenever the need arises. That sense of loyalty and responsibility may well explain the bitterness and resentment from some quarters.
There is nothing wrong with holding government accountable. In fact, constructive criticism is essential in any democracy. However, criticism must be rooted in substance, sincerity and maturity. What Dalung offered in his latest intervention fell short of those standards and instead appeared performative.
Even more troubling is that at a time when introspection should be the order of the day, following the embarrassment reportedly suffered by some Plateau State supporters at the recent David Mark faction African Democratic Congress (ADC) convention in Abuja, Dalung has continued to seek relevance through needless attacks.
For someone who has been in politics since 1978, it is disappointing that he has yet to build a formidable political structure capable of commanding significant influence in Plateau State, let alone at the national level.
Rather than launching personal attacks on the APC National Chairman, Dalung would do better to watch, learn and appreciate what purposeful leadership looks like.
SHITTU BAMAIYI, immediate past Plateau State Acting Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC