2023 Presidency: Arewa Group Backs IBB On Young Candidates

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF, has described as timely and commendable the recent call by former President Ibrahim Babangida to have a youth as Nigeria’s President in 2023.

“Former President IBB has proved that he is committed to genuine democracy and demonstrated patriotism, with this proposition of injecting fresh blood into the democratic space of today’s Nigeria. We call on all elder statesmen to cue behind IBB for the good of this nation”.

In a media statement signed by the group’s National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, noted that the former President has spoken the minds of millions of Nigerians who have been quietly disturbed by “the political culture of recycling old, tired citizens as presidents of the nation”, saying this was partly responsible for the current stagnation afflicting the country.

“We’re all aware that in terms of leadership/governance globally, the trend is having young, healthy and intellectually vibrant young people at the helm of affairs”, Shettima emphasized.

“We’re calling in all political parties in the country to shun the culture of recycling old and incompetent candidates for the nation’s presidency, because the youth will no longer support that dangerous trend anymore”, he said.

He explained that the era of having old people holding the reigns in Nigeria should belong to the past and “anyone who thinks this stagnation should continue, should perish that negative thought”.

The group, in the statement, then declared thus: “Going forward, the AYFC will never allow the recycling of old, weak and sick citizens as leaders of this nation, moreso in a fast-changing and competitive world.

“Much as democracy give everyone the right to contest for any elective office, it does not encourage the emergence of tired, weak, politically compromised, sick and overly unproductive persons as leaders of this modern society”.