Representative of the youths at the National Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ismail Ahmed, has noted that with President Muhammadu Buhari not taking part in the 2023 general elections, the APC would really be in for a fight to win the election
The youth leader, who stated this at the inauguration of Committees for the upcoming APC youths conference, noted that the Buhari factor in 2023 would mean that the party needs to work hard to retain the usual 10m votes that makes him strong in any election
He noted that the conference would position APC youths to work hard for the party ahead of the 2023 elections
“The conference is less than a month now and it the first of its kind, when I said first of it kind, I mean it’s the biggest thing we have done as young people in this progressive movement since the beginning in 2013 that we are going to have an exclusive Youth national conference.
“It is going to be a two days conferencing, where alot of substantive things and politics are going to be discussed, our road map, vision, demands and what we feel that the APC should be and what is already is.
“I keep saying it that 2023 is going to be a battle for the young people, as it has been clearly demonstrated and I say it every time that the President Muhammadu Buhari always come to the table with ten million votes in every election he has participated in. But for the first time in twenty years, in 2023 President Buhari will not be on the ballot, and because he will not be on the ballot; which means we have to go scarting for those ten million votes elsewhere.
“At best, if the President is giving us some of his supporters, which he as a bonafide member of the party will do, the best we can look for is probably 50% of those 10million votes. Which means we have to go scarting for other five million votes elsewhere.
“Those five million votes are with the young people wnd women. In 2023 young people are going to demand what is it that you are going to do for us? They need to know that they have a table, a seat and the decision making table or else forget it they will go to the person that will give them that hope.
“So we need as young pregressives to institutionalised the ideal of being a progressive, because if they say you are an APC member, you should just be more than a card carrying member
“So being a progressive should mean something. Young people need to come together and see, this is what we are deciding for ourselves. We are going to make sure that it survives, And how do we do that is by coming together and make the road map of what we expect and what is it to be a progressive, so that we can draw other young people into this movement and grow it as well and we can deliver the party and deliver the country both in 2023 and beyond.
“It is on this premise that we have decided to organize the first ever National Progressives Youth Conference and you all have been chosen to deliver the best and most impactive conference.
