The youth leaders of the All Progressives Congress in the South-West have called on the national leadership of the party not to bow to pressure to change the date of the forthcoming national convention of the party scheduled to hold in February 2022.
The youth leaders under the auspices of the APC South-West Youth Leaders also implore the leadership of the party to ensure that youths take over all the national leadership positions of the party at the convention.
Speaking for the group on Monday, at the APC Secretariat, in Akure the Ondo State capital, the Acting South-West Youth Leader, Mr Kolade Lawal, said there must not be any change in the date of the convention.
According to him, the youth leaders of the party from South-West states of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun and Lagos, commended the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the party led by Governor Mai Mala Buni for being steadfast and dogged in their approach to party administration.
He said, “We the youths of the APC in the South-West states are already looking forward to February for the conduct of the national convention. We are upbeat and are already mobilizing massively ahead of the convention. We are confident that our national leaders, being men of honour, will allow the party to stick to its own promise and let our word be our bond. We ask the party leadership not to listen, let alone accede, to the cacophony of sponsored suggestions in some quarters that the February 2022 date be still pushed forward to a later date.
“The people making this dangerous suggestion are familiar retrogressive voices who do not mean well for our party. They and their suggestions should be thrashed in the dust bin of history. Instead, we urge the party leadership to remain steadfast on the choice of February as the definite date for the conduct of the convention. Anything short of this is not good for the party.
“For sure and certain, the next national convention is make or mar for the APC. Whether the APC will continue to remain united, indissolible, big and strong is firmly predicated on the kind and quality of decision our leaders take at the convention in February. Our leaders should therefore be careful not to play cheaply into the hands of some doomsday prophets who have wildly predicted the end of our party in a short while.”
On the position of the group on youths taking over the leadership, Lawal urged that the young and vibrant party members should be allowed to take up strategic leadership positions in the forthcoming convention.
“The party should look into the pool of youthful aspirants from among those contesting for key positions, such as national chairman, deputy national chairman, national secretary, national organizing secretary, zonal vice chairmen, national youth leader, national woman leader, among others, and assist competent ones amongst them to victory; for them to lead the party to victory in 2023 and beyond.
“The party should remember that youths are presently performing wonders in the private sector and other spheres of life, despite daunting challenges, and so consider competent youthful members that are not above 50 years for membership of the new National Working Committee.”
