2023: Tambuwal Represents Ideal Candidate to Succeed President Buhari, Says Group

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Nigerian Youth Union (NYU), the umbrella organisation of Nigerian young professionals, yesterday said that the Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is the ideal presidential candidate the youths expect to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023.

NYU noted “all these above-60 leaders contributed in many ways in making Nigeria the poverty headquarters of the world, where more that 14.5 million Nigerian children lack access to quality education and healthcare.”

In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, yesterday, the National President of NYU, Comrade Chinonso Obasi, disclosed that Nigerian youths have organised themselves so as to be able to infuse their positive youthful energy into selecting a forward-looking president for the country.

The group regretted that “young people of this great nation have been disconnected from governance, simply because the outgoing President, General Buhari, overlooked the youths in the belief that his fellow gerontocrats are all-knowing.”

NYU, therefore, stated that it found solace in President Buhari’s promise in 2018, while signing into law the Not-Too-Young-To-Run bill, that Nigerian youths should wait for 2023 to take over.

“However, we take solace in the President’s promise that 2023 is the year of Nigerian youths. As such, we have fine-tuned our strategies and reviewed out tactics to ensure that the forthcoming 2023 Presidential election is decided by the Nigerian youths.

“We have resolved to cast away the pain and scars of the #EndSARS uprising and invest our positive youthful energy in enthroning a youth minded Presidential candidate, who shall, in turn, involve youths in governance.

“We make bold to state that whoever is as old as Nigeria should, in the interest of his personal dignity, excuse him or herself from the 2023 Presidential contest,” the group stated.

On their impressions about the Governor of Sokoto State, the group said they were excited that Tambuwal, who is also a lawyer by profession, has begun consultations to throw his hat in the ring for the post of Nigeria President come 2023.

“As activities and events leading to the 2023 General Elections continue to unfold, we, the members of Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) have resolved not to sit on the fence. The year 2023 serves as a beacon for Nigerian youths to organise and cease from agonising on the various leadership shortcomings that have held our nation down.

“Consequently, we have decided to latch unto President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise in 2018, while signing into law the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill, that youths should wait for 2023 to take over.

“Permit us, therefore, to state from the outset that in the person of the current Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, we have found a rallying point and standard bearer to effect the take-over of Nigeria leadership. Tambuwal represents the leaders of tomorrow that youths have always been promised,” they said.

The youths’ group disclosed that “at 56, and having served as Speaker of the 306-member Nigeria House of Representatives and currently in his second term as governor, Barrister Tambuwal has demonstrated capacity to integrate young people into governance and public decision-making processes.”

“Interestingly, among the 36 state governors in Nigeria, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (AWT) is the only governor that appointed a youth, in the person of 31-year-old Bashir Gorau as state Commissioner for Youth and Sports. It is this calibre of youth-sensitive like Governor Tambuwal that we believe can make the difference as Nigeria’s next President,” NYU stressed.