The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has called on governors elected on the party’s platform to channel their training, research, and consultancy needs to The Progressives Institute (TPI).
Yilwatda made the appeal on Monday in Abuja during the inauguration of the institute’s Governing Council. He described TPI as the party’s think tank and intellectual resource centre, established to strengthen the APC’s ideological foundation and research capacity.
According to him, the inauguration of the council marked the completion of the institute’s governance framework, a process that began with its public unveiling on September 6, 2024. He said the APC leadership deliberately set up the institute to promote research-driven policymaking within the party and to encourage ideologically grounded politics across the country.
Yilwatda stressed that, despite being the ruling party, the APC ensured that the establishment of TPI complied with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements. He said this was to demonstrate the party’s respect for the rule of law and to allow the institute operate as an independent, self-sustaining, non-state organisation.
He explained that the Governing Council is the highest decision-making organ of the institute, with a critical role in shaping its future and ensuring the realisation of the party’s broader vision. He added that his decision to personally serve as Chairman of the council was to guarantee sustained policy focus and strategic oversight from the highest level of party leadership.
The APC chairman assured that the party’s national leadership was fully committed to supporting the institute and providing it with the attention required to succeed. He congratulated members of the council, noting that they were carefully selected from a large pool of qualified Nigerians based on their experience, competence, and commitment to progressive ideals.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the institute, Lanre Adebayo, assured the APC leadership of his management team’s resolve to set high standards and deliver on the institute’s mandate. He added that only committed party members would serve as staff of the institute, noting that any non-party members would be required to step aside.
