The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF has vowed never to again allow anyone above the age of 50 to emerge as President in Nigeria.
The northern youths group said it is forming a synergy ahead of 2023 general elections, to ensure that no one above their contemporary age occupies any political space again.
Naija News understands that AYCF revealed this while speaking with the press in Kaduna State on Monday, February 2 by its president, Alh. Yerima Shettima.
Shettima stated that the old age politicians have failed the nation since they took over power from the founding fathers. He urged Nigerian youths to ensure that the age bracket is never allowed to take over power, adding that they had brought perpetual hardship of all kinds to the nation.
He said: “we refused to harness our human and natural resources and put them on the right track for us to be very productive, rather, we only count on the number every day on one story or the other.
“It is sad and unfortunate today that this country is where it is today despite the fact that some of us are willing to cope with the situation and move it forward no matter what.
“What they succeeded in doing is to balkanize and cause more divisions among us the present generation. It is either you are caught in an issue of religion or tribe and over and over, this has continued.”
Recalling the nationwide #ENDSARS protest that stirred reaction across nations of the world recently, Shettima said it is proof that the youth can achieve a lot together.
“What we are doing now as youths of this country is to form synergy, build capacity before the next elections to ensure that never again will we allow anyone that is not our contemporary to occupy any political space, we won’t do that and that is what we are doing now,” he said.
“The youths are set for 2023. Recent happenings in the country have shown that we have the capacity and that is a clear demonstration of END SARS, it happens just within a small place and if you could see how it exposed a lot of weakness on the part of the federal government, we don’t intend to go through that process of END SARS where there were casualties of lives and properties. No, we are going to be very objective, we will demand through a political process, through the ballot paper, through our voters’ Cards, we will mobilize our generation, never again will we put somebody at the helm of affairs that is above 50 years.”
Speaking on the involvement of the old age in current politics, Shettima said though they got everything on a platter of gold “they are still not ready to relinquish power to the present generation”,
He stressed further that they are expected to set the pace, to put the present generation on the right track so that at the end of the day, side by side, work with them and move the country forward.
“They refused and still maintained the status-quo and that is why often times when a new team comes up, because of their mindset, they are not thinking towards moving Nigerians to higher standards,” he added.
Meanwhile, some Northern Governors serving on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have reportedly perfected plans for former President Goodluck Jonathan to defect to the party.
It was gathered the Governors who are said to be very influential within the APC also want to convince the party to give Jonathan its 2023 presidential ticket, Naija News reports.