Former APC National Chairmen and Their Contributions

Last checked: 13 October 2026. This article is a neutral explainer based on published reports. It does not endorse any party or candidate, and where accounts conflict it says so.

The national chairman is the public face and chief administrator of a Nigerian party. The APC has had many chairmen in thirteen years, and the number depends on how you count. Some lists include interim and caretaker leaders, so reports describe six, seven or eight. This article lists each leader, what the record shows about their time in office and why their terms ended, without scoring them.

Why the count differs

Arise News counted six chairmen to mid-2025. AllAfrica counted Yilwatda as the seventh, including interim and caretaker heads. Leadership.ng counted eight, adding Abubakar Kyari, who served briefly in 2023, and acting chairman Ali Dalori. The differences are only about whether temporary leaders count.

1. Bisi Akande (2013 to 2014)

Akande, a former governor of Osun State, was the interim chairman who guided the new party through its registration with INEC on 31 July 2013 and its early organisation. He is credited with being instrumental in the formation of the party. He handed over to John Odigie-Oyegun in 2014.

2. John Odigie-Oyegun (2014 to 2018)

A former governor of Edo State, Odigie-Oyegun led the party through its first primaries and the 2015 victory, when Buhari defeated Jonathan by almost 2.6 million votes. His later years were marked by disputes with governors and other leaders, with protests at the party’s secretariat reported in 2017 and 2018. Buhari withdrew his support when it was clear the governors wanted a change.

3. Adams Oshiomhole (2018 to 2020)

A former labour leader and Edo governor, Oshiomhole was elected on 23 June 2018 by voice vote of delegates. His term saw the party contest the 2019 elections, but also deep conflicts. He was suspended by his Edo ward in November 2019, and a court in March 2020 ordered him restricted from the national secretariat. The NEC dissolved his working committee on 25 June 2020.

4. Mai Mala Buni (2020 to 2022)

The Yobe governor led a 13-member caretaker committee appointed in June 2020 and given six months to reconcile aggrieved members and organise a convention. Reports describe his work on rebuilding the membership register and holding ward, local government and state congresses. His tenure faced questions about legitimacy, since state chapters questioned his powers to suspend and reinstate officials.

5. Abdullahi Adamu (2022 to 2023)

Adamu, a senator from Nasarawa State, was elected at the March 2022 convention in Abuja. That convention elected 77 national officials from a consensus list agreed by governors and other stakeholders and ratified an amended party constitution. Adamu resigned in 2023, and Abubakar Kyari served as an interim leader for a few weeks.

6. Abdullahi Ganduje (2023 to 2025)

A former Kano governor, Ganduje was announced as chairman by the 12th NEC meeting on 3 August 2023. That used Article 13.3 of the constitution, which lets the NEC perform the functions of the national convention between conventions. His appointment drew complaints because the post was supposed to stay in the North Central zone, from which Adamu came, while Ganduje is from the North West. He resigned on 27 or 28 June 2025, citing health. Reports described his tenure as marked by controversy, legal challenges and tensions in state chapters.

7. Nentawe Yilwatda (2025 to present)

Yilwatda, formerly minister of humanitarian affairs and poverty reduction, was ratified by the NEC on 24 July 2025 and re-elected by consensus at the 8th National Convention on 27 and 28 March 2026, with the new working committee to serve four years. His selection moved the chair back to the North Central. ThisDay described the choice as a break from naming former governors as chairmen. He has said the party will win the 2027 elections.

Patterns across the terms

• Short tenures. Only Odigie-Oyegun served close to four years.
• Presidential and governors’ influence. Several changes followed decisions by the president or groups of governors.
• Zoning. Chairs have come from the South-West, South-South, North-East, North-Central and North-West, and disputes often concern which zone holds the post.
• Legal disputes. Courts were involved in the Oshiomhole and Ganduje periods.

How to assess “contributions”

Judging a chairman’s legacy depends on what you count: elections won, defections managed, reconciliation, funding or discipline. Supporters and critics of each chairman disagree, and published evaluations are often written by people with a stake in the outcome. Looking at documented events, such as primaries conducted and congresses completed, is more reliable than looking at praise or criticism alone.

What we could not confirm

• Exact resignation dates in every case, since reports differ by a day.
• Whether temporary leaders should be counted among “chairmen”.
• Private reasons for departures, which are not publicly verified.

Frequently asked questions

How many chairmen has the APC had? Between six and eight, depending on whether interim and caretaker leaders are counted.

Who was the longest serving? Odigie-Oyegun, from 2014 to 2018.

Who is the current chairman? Nentawe Yilwatda.

Key takeaways

APC chairmen have often served short terms, and changes have followed pressure from governors, courts or the presidency. The record shows steady involvement in organising congresses and elections, with leadership instability as a recurring theme.

Sources checked

• Arise News and ThisDay, “Yilwatda’s Emergence as APC Chairman”
• Leadership.ng, “APC: Now That Ganduje Is Gone”
• AllAfrica, “APC in 2025”
• Wikipedia entries on Oshiomhole and Odigie-Oyegun
• BusinessDay, Daily Trust and Channels Television reports on the 2022 to 2026 conventions