By Adeyemi Adeleye
A Southwest political youth group on the aegis of GYB2PYB, has given reasons why Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi should fly the APC flag in the 2023 presidential election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the group stormed Lagos State on Wednesday, with youths, mobilised across the six states of the Southwest for a conference to urge the Kogi governor to join the race for presidency in 2023.
Addressing the crowd at the Event Center, Billings Way, Oregun, Lagos, venue of the conference, GYB2PYB Director General, Mr Oladele Niyi, said Yahaya Bello remained second to none among the present crop of governors in Nigeria, in terms of performance.
Niyi said Yahaya Bello had demonstrated more than enough commitment to good governance in Kogi, adhered to the call for more women participation in governance by appointing more women in his cabinet.
“Majority of appointees in Bello’s adminstration are youths and women, hence he remains the best Nigerian to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, come 2023.
” Whenever the issue of good governance in Nigeria is discussed, the Kogi governor’s name must be mentioned,” he said.
Niyi while appealing to the Nigerian electorate to eschew ethnic, religious and zoning sentiments in the upcoming general election said: “GYB2PYB is an independent youth organisation that has carried out research on who among the nation’s politicians, possessed the quality to build on the legacy of the Buhari’s administration.
“Bello has respect for youths and gender equality,. We are therefore convinced he is the right person to take Nigeria out of its present predicaments after President Buhari.
He, however, appealed to the governor to as a matter of urgency, accept the clarion call of the GYB2PYB and other Nigerians, to declare to run for the position.
The director general assured that if the Kogi governor bowed to calls to run for president, the group would work to secure his victory by mobilising votes from youths, and especially women across the country.
In a special address entitled: ‘Towards Youthful Political Consensus and 2023 General Elections’, the Guest Speaker, Mr Segun Olonode, said the challenges in Nigeria today required a candidate with a youthful strength and mental capacity to drive it forward.
He said research had shown that Bello, had demonstrated enough capacity from the way he governed Kogi, and made use of youths in his cabinet, giving women more than enough space and opportunity to serve under his administration.
” Bello’s administration has ensured security in Kogi, and he can replicate it nationwide, if he becomes the president of Nigeria.”
Some of the State Coordinators of GYB2PYB support group, including Ms Gloria Benson – Lagos,, Mr Henry Oyebade – Ogun and
Mrs Yetunde Moradeyo -Osun among others, also urged Nigerians and the leadership of the APC, to present Bello as candidate of the party in the next presidential election.
“With Bello, the slogan for the 2023 general election will be ‘Youth O’clock’, meaning that youths and women will be given equal opportunity to serve.” they said.
In his remarks, the Chief of Staff to Bello, Mr Abdulkareem Asuku, who said he was at the event following an invitation by the group, said he was delighted that even youths in the Southwest zone, acquainted themselves with the massive programmes and policies of the Bello administration in Kogi.
He said that Nigeria needed a leader that would unite all tribes, mend broken bridges, a detribalised leader that would ensure fairness, Justice and equality, qualities that Bello had continued to demonstrate.
” I can assure you that our governor has done this in Kogi and will replicate it if supported to become president of Nigeria in 2023.”