Former governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has been called upon to step down and give opportunity to Nigerian youth to run for the office of the president in the 2023 general election.
Governor Yahaya Bello to President Yahaya Bello (GYB2PYB) youth support group, made the call in a media conference to commemorate its one year anniversary on Tuesday in Abuja.
Tinubu had on Monday informed President Muhammadu Buhari of his decision to run for the office of the president come 2023.
Speaking on behalf of the group, the Director General of GYB2PYB youth support group, Ambassador Oladele John Nihi, said senior citizens like the former Lagos governor who are clamoring for political offices should rather retire.
According to the group, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said he only informed the President of his intention but yet to notify Nigerians. The group also appealed to the APC National Leader to halt his intention of informing Nigerians about his ambition and give way for Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello who is one of the youngest for the presidential race.
He said: “The utterances by the National Leader of the All Progressive Congress, the person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to have officially informed the President of his ambition or intention to succeed him after the 2023 General election. An ambition he called a live long ambition.
“We understand and reference the fact that everyone as a Nigerian has the right to aspire for elective positions as deem fit. We also have few questions for our baba and leader and we believe it is the same question on the lips and minds of many Nigerians out there without a voice or a platform to be heard”.
Ambassador Nihi said President Buhari during the signing of the ‘Not Too Young To Run Bill”said he would hand over to the youth.
“The questions are why now? Why now that President Muhammadu Buhari promised to hand over to a much younger person come 2023? a promise the president made in 2018 during the signing of the not too young to run bill into Law.
“Why decide to achieve a supposed life long ambition at a time Nigerian youth are collectively clamoring for a thorough inclusive and active participation in governance accross board?
“Alhaji Asiwaju Tinubu, Why put your interest above other Nigerian youths who obviously constitute majority of both the Nigerian population and the electorate? A united generation of like minds who will stop at nothing to achieve its set objectives.
“Why has baba kept his lifelong ambition to himself all these while, his age group and generation has done nothing but little to get the country working?” the youth leader questioned.
On support for Governor Yahaya Bello, Ambassador Nihi described Yahaya Bello as the youngest governor in the country and a youth that supports political inclusion of youths, women and persons living with disability.
He said: “The candidacy of Governor Bello will stand. And our structures across the 36 states of the country doing tedious grassroots sensitization on why the youths should be given a chance come 2023, have recorded substantial and bankable results.
“We are therefore still calling on our principal, Nigerian Youth’s model and our foremost qualified by antecedents; as the jungle is set for the taking.
