By Ibrahim Shuaibun
A Northern Youth Coalition has launched an awareness campaign to galvanise support for Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo ahead of the 2023 presidential election in Kano.
The group under the auspices of Osinbajo Awareness Campaign (OAC) unveiled a platform to mobilise 20 million youths across the 19 Northern states and Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) in solidarity with the Vice President as the only trusted candidate who can consolidate the gains of President Mohammad Buhari’s transformation agenda.
Speaking at the launch of its Kano secretariat and campaign vehicles yesterday, National Coordinator of the group, Mubarak Haruna, declared that Nigeria needs the calibre of highly patriotic and genuinely detribalised leaders that could drive the country to greater heights.
He explained that while other pro-Osinbajo platforms including The Progressive Project (TPP) and the Progressive Consolidation Group (PCG) focus on the general population, OAC will mobilise 20 million youths across various political backgrounds in the 19 Northern States.
Haruna disclosed that Osinbajo has not considered throwing his hat in the ring, he declared the readiness of the group to drive intensive campaigns across the Northern part of the country and drum support for his candidacy come 2023.
The coordinator reminded that Osinbajo has demonstrated competence and loyalty to manage the complex entity like Nigeria, cited how he diligently stabilized the nation’s economy while holding brief for president Muhammadu Buhari.
Haruna pointed out that Osinbajo’s pragmatic demonstration of commitment to progressive ideals, honesty and people-focused leadership by example are glaring in the Buhari administration ‘s social empowerment programme, including cash transfer and trader money where several lives of poor and less privileged Nigerians across the country were positively touched.
Besides the mobilization program, Haruna disclosed that the group will soon start collecting public opinion and data towards setting a grassroots-oriented public agenda for the 2023 Osinbajo presidential ambition.
” We are launching an awareness campaign across the Northern states to mobilize support for Osinbajo towards making him our next president.
“None of us has ever met him in person but from all we know, we are convinced that the Vice President is the only tested and trusted candidate that can continue the good works started by President Muhammadu Buhari. It is obvious that Professor Osinbajo is a visionary leader, a patriotic citizen whose loyalty to one indivisible Nigeria is never in doubt; he is a detribalised Nigerian who is widely accepted, irrespective of religion and tribe across the country. We would support him to make sure he wins,” Haruna said.
Reacting to the issue of whether APC should zone presidential ticket to South or North, Haruna vehemently rejected the agitation especially from the Northern leaders to retain power in the North.
Haruna asserted that APC should rather consider a power shift to the South if the party truly believes in sustaining a very united federation.
