The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the party stands in solidarity with the government and people of Niger State over the missing children of St. Mary’s School, Papiri, Agwara local council.

Prof. Yilwatda gave the assurance when he led some members of the National Working Committee NWC on a sympathy visit to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago at the Government House, Minna, on Wednesday, November 26, 2025.

The APC chairman had decried the rising cases of kidnapping in the country, especially the sequence in which they are happening.

In Yilwatda’s words.”Our hearts are heavy, and we stand in solidarity with the government and people of the Niger state in this moment of grief.”

Yilwatda, who commended security agencies, noted that their efforts, as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are yielding positive results and prayed that the St. Mary School children will soon be recovered safely.

He also praised Governor Bago for his developmental strides and for ensuring religious tolerance in the state, saying that religious harmony is what the nation needs at the moment.

In his remarks, Governor Bago appreciated the APC chairman and other members of the party’s National Working Committee for the visit, which he said demonstrates the brotherhood that exists within the party.

The governor urged continued prayers for the safe recovery of the missing school children and for sustainable peace in the state and the nation at large.

He emphasised that the state is poised to continue coexisting regardless of religious differences, noting that there is strength in diversity.

In other news, the wife of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Martina Yilwatda, has canvassed support for the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, insisting that Nigeria’s women must take ownership of the process of inclusion, not merely demand it.

She argued that if women truly want expanded representation in governance, they must deliberately mobilise votes and political structures for their fellow women, rather than continue to lament under-representation while still campaigning for solely male aspirants.

Speaking at a meeting with members of the Women Leadership Network (WLN) on Sunday in Abuja, Dr. Yilwatda said the narrative of exclusion would change faster if women actively support other women who seek public office at the ward, state and federal levels.
“We must not only come out to work, we must come out to contest,” she stressed. “If we want a different narrative, the change must begin with us. We have to be deliberate.”

She explained that the WLN structure is being built to function nationwide — from states, to local governments, to political wards and polling units — to identify, mentor and encourage more women to run for office, while also preparing younger entrants for long-term political continuity.