By Angela Atabo
The Nigerian Youth Coalition (NYC) has called on Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to appoint people that can help him win the 2023 election into his campaign team.
Mr Aare Hassan, President, NYC and Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide,made the call on Thursday in Abuja .
According to Hassan ,winning the election should be the most paramount thing for Tinubu now so he should hearken to the voice of the people in selecting who will be in his team.
“The leadership of the Nigerian Youth Coalition; the apex coalition of the various socio-cultural and civil society youth groups in Nigeria is compelled to call on the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima APC Led Presidential Joint Ticket at the forthcoming 2023 general elections
“This is on the appointment of Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State as the Director General of APC’s presidential campaign council as Political miscalculation and drifting of the APC Political Ship into oblivion.
“We call on all well meaning lovers of democracy in the All Progressives Congress- APC to see the urgent need to read the minds and body language of Nigeirans, particularly of the Christian faith on appointment of the Director General without due consultations with APC Christian members .
“There was no unanimous decision to nominate and choose their best to represent their interests, if the Presidential Election mandate so as to pacify the Christians across the country and if truly the 2023 Presidency is a must win and not a fluke.”
Hassan further said that the group was aghast to view Governor Lalong’s lack of capacity to lead Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima ticket to victory in the forthcoming presidential election.
He said that the group frown at whoever recommended Lalong for the position
“We further alert the majority of the Christians in the North are not likely to vote for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We are aggrieved as concern stakeholders that passionately love the need to ensure continuous peace, unity and progress of Nigeria, as we see this last minute intervention to rescue APC Presidential Campaign ship from imminent wreck.
He appealed to APC to reverse the decision to appoint anyone without due and adequate consultations.
He added that APC should be aware of the brazen political wind from the Christian faith so as not to move against the tide of the storm.
Recently Lalong’s utterances, actions and policies in the state would further worsen the hatred for the party in the state and in other Christian dominated states, particularly in the North.
“APC should be aware that religion is a serious factor which must be considered in balancing the political interest due to the sensitivity attached to religion in Nigeria, hence the necessity to reverse itself and put out the search engines of wisdom to choose the best from the APC Christian members.”
Hassan said that ever since the return of democracy in 1999, the practice has always been either Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Christian presidential ticket .
He therefore ,said that introducing Muslim-Muslim ticket is a strange development that Christians are mentally aggrieved and assaulted; are not happy about and they are ready to vent their anger at the polls.
“This is particularly of the Christian faith on appointment of the Director General without due and adequate all inclusive consultations with APC Christian members on an unanimous decision to nominate who they best like.”
Hassan said that the group had earlier nominated the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Rev Yakubu Pam as the Vice Presidential candidate of the APC but it did not pull through .
He therefore, urged the APC that Nigerians should be carried along so as to have their buy-in to guarantee the party victory come 2023 .
