…As Saraki faults Buhari plans to amend Electoral Act as selfish
By Myke Uzendu
Barley 355 days to the next Presidential election, the youths of leading opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have commenced the mobilization of it’s youths across the federation so as to retrieve power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The PDP youth leaders from the zones and states stated at the end of its meeting at the party’s headquarters in Abuja over the weekend, their resolve to ensure that the once ruling party reclaims its lost position in the 2023 election
National Youth leader of the party, Prince Muh’d Suleiman who convened the youths stressed the need for the grassroot leaders to reach out to their colleagues and ensure that they get their permanent voters card which will arm them to end the reign of the APC.
Suleiman blamed the APC for the current industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which according to him has placed Nigerians students on a state of hopeless.
“My colleagues, the Zonal and state’s Youth Leaders, our dear country Nigeria faces imminent collapse due to unprecedented economic and security challenges. Nigeria has been named the poverty capital of the world, Nigeria ranks five places worse on 2021 corruption perception index and the state of insecurity has reached unacceptable proportion.
“Our educational system has collapsed. This strike would have been avoided, but for the insensitivity of the APC government. Our students are now staying idle in their parents’ homes. Indeed, Nigerians are beckoning on PDP to come to rescue. We must not fail them, we must save this country, yes, we must save our Fatherland” he said.
He called on the youth leaders to save the country from imminent collapse by mobilizing the youths which constitute a large chunk of the voting population for the PDP.
“The youths are very pivotal in this rescue mission. I am very proud and excited that I am a youth, I therefore appeal to you to join hand with me in this great task of mobilizing the Nigerian youths to join our great Party, the PDP.
“It is very important that as we are embarking on mass mobilization of Nigerians, we should encourage those without Permanent Voters Cards (PVCS) to quickly visit INEC registration centres nearest to them to get registered. It is the PVC that can empower the youths to vote out the incompetent government of APC. Therefore, all the youths must have PVC’s he advised.
Also in his opening remarks the PDP chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu called on the youths to explore the social media and mobilize young Nigerians to vote for the party’s candidate.
Represented by the Deputy National Chairman North, Ambassador Umaru Damagun, the Chairman said that youths constitute about 60percentof voting population.
He challenges them to explore the power of social media and woo them into the party.
Meanwhile the former Senate President and former governor Kwara state, Sen. Bukola Saraki has knocked President Muhammadu Buhari for seeking for the amendment of the Electoral Act recently signed into law.
Speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the PDP Youth Meeting, Saraki who said that the task of returning the party to power lies with the youths, described as selfish, the presentation of an amendment to the Electoral Act by Mr. President, just few hours after it was accented to.
He questioned why the President should insist that people retain their offices till few hours to election which will indirectly give them undue advantage and enable them use state resources to influence the election outcome.
He said, “Why should someone in political office use the influence of political office to contest? We talked about participation of youth? What chance does the young Nigeria have to contest somebody who’s sitting in public office; has access to power by influence; has access to funds of government?
