2023: Young Nigerians Should Contest Under PDP, Says Youth Leader

2023: Young Nigerians Should Contest Under PDP,  Says Youth Leader

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Ahead of the 2023 elections, National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Mohammed Suleiman has called on young Nigerians to contest for elective positions under the PDP.

He said the main opposition party offers them the best opportunity to achieve their political aspirations.

Suleiman stated this Friday in Abuja at an event organised by The Nigerian Alliance (TNA) for young people vying for legislative offices both at the state level and national level.

TNA is a platform for young Nigerians determined to transform politics and improve governance with clearly defined ideas.

He said, “I’m not campaigning here, but let me tell you the truth, we are the only political party that has a youth leader in Nigeria. So, if you want to vie for any position as a young man, I think you should vie for it under the platform of the PDP.

“I assure you to go out and contest for these positions but please make sure you are on ground politically. Focus on the grassroot and continue with your ambition.”

Earlier, the Executive Director of TNA, Ms. Simi Olusola said TNA is an association of those that are ready to take back Nigeria.

She stated: “The Nigerian Alliance is not its founders, it’s not its team, it’s not its aspirants, it’s not its partners or donors. The Nigerian Alliance is truly what it is, an alliance of all Nigerians that mean well for this country. An alliance of people who are ready to fight for our future. It is an alliance of those who are ready to take back Nigeria.

“We’re starting by putting forward 29 people today as our 2023 squad. I tell you, we mean business with this squad. We, the worker bees of this alliance, are committed to doing everything we can to get as many as possible out of this 29 onto the ballot and into the office.

“We’re not too young to run but most times we are not rich enough to run. This is why this collective exists. We intend to support the aspirants with nomination forms subsidies, transport and logistics, publicity and media, branding, capacity development and campaign management. We will work round the clock for them at the national, state, LGA and ward levels to get them the holistic support they need.”

Olusola told the aspirants that TNA was not doing them a favour, nor the aspirants are doing TNA a favour and neither are the parties doing Nigeria a favour, stressing that everybody is coming together to play their parts in rebuilding the nation.

On her part, a young aspirant contesting for

Edo State House of Assembly, Ms. Joyce Daniels, said she was aspiring because she believed she has the commitment, competence and character required.

She noted that there are people for different roles, but she believed that she is fit for people facing roles, saying not just people facing roles but, intellectual, law as regards the foundation on which the executive is built, so am fit for it.

Daniels said her interpretation of #TakeitBack is that everyone, both the young and the old need to change the narrative of the country.

She stated: “My interpretation is that the values that have been lost along the way, we will take back. We’ve been described as a sleeping giant, we want to wake up. To do that we need everybody. We need those with age, we need those younger, we need men, we need women, because we all see things differently. It is that difference when put together that makes a whole, that gives us more power. So we need all of us to wake up together.”

On reforms that should be put in place before the 2023 elections that would give more chances to young people, she said there was a need to bring more speed and accuracy to the electoral process.

According to Daniels, We need more input into the electoral process that will bring speed and accuracy and reduce the room for mismanagement and ‘mago-mago’ (manipulation).

Daniels said she agreed with the decision of the president to Withhold assent of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill because political parties should be at liberty to determine the mode of primary to choose their candidates.

Related Articles