Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Progressives Forum has endorsed former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara, as the running mate to the APC presidential candidate, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu.
The National Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Ukkasha Umar Rahama, who disclosed this while addressing a press conference in Bauchi yesterday, noted that the aftermath of the presidential primary election that produced Tinubu has left the party with the challenge of picking a running mate.
The forum, which endorsed Dogara (from the Northeast), said it would go a long way in balancing the political equation in the country.
Rahama, who noted that the emergence of Tinubu as the APC presidential has opened another political discussions, opined that to strike a balance, Tinubu and the leadership of the party should consider the choice of Dogara as the vice presidential candidate.
He observed that in a secular and multicultural country like Nigeria, it is given that broad considerations should be made to accommodate all interest groups in leadership for equity and fairness not only to be done but be seen to have been done.
Rahama said the decision of the forum to address the media on the issue was to calm nerves and draw the attention of the APC to prioritise justice, fairness and equity in the selection of the vice presidential candidate.
The forum said: “The subject of our consideration of Dogara as a good material for Tinubu is not ceded along his tribe or his religion but his political wealth of experience.”
The APC Youth Forum maintained that Dogara is one of the outspoken legislators who has built relationships as the 14th Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Rahama pointed out that many are of the opinion that since Tinubu is a Muslim from the southern part of the country, it is expected that a Christian from the northern part of the country be chosen as the vice president for the APC in order to have a balanced ticket to convince Nigerians to vote for it.
The forum, which said emphasis should not be place on religious or ethnic sentiment, however, noted that their emphasis on Dogara is based on credibility and competency.
