By Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, office of the National Youth leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has set up a High Level Working Group to cater for the needs of its members.
The High Level Working Group, is made up of young people in very senior positions to ensure the inclusion of youths in the 2023 elections and affairs of the party.
The Co-chair of the APC youth Wing, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, who disclosed this during a press briefing in Abuja at the party’s National Secretariat on Tuesday, promised that the wing will lobby for young aspirants who have purchased nomination forms.
According to him, the Youth wing of the APC under the Leadership of national youth leader Dayo Israel, has taken a major strategy saddled with the responsibility to strengthen the participation of young people in the political process beyond the use of young APC members as political thugs or mere voters.
He said the group would lobby policy makers across the country to ensure the success and emergence of credible young aspirants in the forthcoming primaries noting that the committee’s focus is to create a Technical Platform, providing strategic and moral support to young members who have purchased their nomination forms or are intending to purchase before the expiration of the dateline set by the party.
Ahmad, stressed that they have been able to engage a few governors like those of Lagos, Ogun and Ekiti States and have gotten very firm commitment from them.
He said: ” Already, They have shown a lot of encouragement because once you look through their cabinet , you would find that a lot of the people they are currently bringing into their cabinet are young people.
This week we are able to secure appointments to meet with the Cross Rivers State Governor, Niger State Governor, Gombe state governor, Kebbi State governor Jigawa State governor and Kano Kano state governor.
“So far, we have seen a lot of positive results. We have areas where we have our young aspirants who have been cleared to run as, state House of Assembly Members, some house of representatives from Senate, some even governors.
“We can help them with fundraising, and things like that. So that beyond the primaries, we are going into the elections, we will continue to support them and ensure they succeed.
Earlier, the national youth leader of the party had said his office is committed to ensuring the increment of young people in politics ahead of the 2023 general elections and beyond.
In his word ” we know that this is an election year. So, we have a commitment to ensure that we can increase the number of young people according to our party constitution. 40 years and below who are running or participating in this election.
As a result of that, we set up this high level Working Group on huge inclusion in the 2023 elections that is composed of some of the best minds that this country has produced so far In the youth sector,” he said