Ahead of the 2023 general elections, some Yoruba Youths under the aegis of Afenifere for Collective Transformation, ACT, have written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, asking him to handover to a youth as his successor, come 2023, .
The letter, dated June 12, 2021, and copied to the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, among others, also asked the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to reduce the cost of the expression of interest and nomination forms, so that the interested youths can afford them.
Reading the letter at a Press Conference, which held at the weekend, in Abuja, the Director-General of the group, Tolu Ajayi, said that handing over to youths in 2023, would serve as the only way to checkmate the growing youthful unrest, restiveness, and violence, across the country.
He also chided those calling for zoning within the ruling party, saying that it is a fraud and an error which could exterminate merit.
The letter reads: “Come 29th of May, 2023, a new President would emerge, and now, Nigerian youths want not only the President, but All Progressives Congress, APC, at large to not only support this ambition, but also give us a credible youthful and young Presidential Candidate, to drive and champion this ambition for us.
“This Candidate must have held the position of the Governor of a State in the country, or a sitting Governor, with age less than 50 years old. Nigerian Youths want a President that belongs to our generation, whom we believe would understand us better.
“We understand that Nigerian youths have been abused, used, denied, rejected, and labelled negatively by the Elders of this country, hence, our resolve to redeem ourselves and our image with a young President that would further affirm our God-given potential and ability in political leadership.
“Nigerian youths are tired of a series of certificate scandals and age falsification being perpetrated by our Leaders, all in the name of getting to political leadership by force.
“To this end, an educated and qualified young Nigerian whose credentials and age would not be hidden, is who we want at the level of our Presidency, come 2023, for the principle of transparency. This we want the APC to give us.
“In order to make the dream of youthful and young Leadership a reality in Nigeria across board, we implore the All Progressives Congress to reduce drastically, the cost of expression of interest form and nomination form, so that credible young Nigerians who made money in a legitimate means can afford to purchase the forms to contest under the platform of the party.”
