The National Young Stakeholders Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected any attempt to undermine the party’s National Youth Leader, Hon. Dayo Israel and passed a vote of confidence in him.

The forum also defended Israel’s facilitation of campaign mobilisation vehicles for selected youth leaders, describing the initiative as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Shehu Attah, disclosed this in Abuja, during a press briefing, said attempts to undermine the National Youth Leader could weaken the party’s youth structure and create unnecessary divisions.

The forum reaffirmed its support for Israel, calling on APC youths nationwide to close ranks, strengthen grassroots mobilisation and focus on the party’s electoral objectives.

Attah said the forum, comprising APC stakeholders and founding members across the six geopolitical zones, was concerned about what it described as persistent attempts by some interests to diminish the authority of the office.

He said the party’s strength depended not only on electoral victories but also on respect for established institutions, internal democracy, fairness and the rule of law.

Attah said: “We also commend Hon. Dayo Israel for efforts to boost the morale of the youth leadership through the recent facilitation of campaign mobilization vehicles to selected youth leaders and the earlier distribution of buses to others.

“This has sent a strong signal within the youth wing that the era of “monkey Dey work, baboon Dey chop” is gone with the wind! Now, our youths will be energized to work for the reelection of President Bola Tinubu knowing fully well that the reward system has improved and can only get better.

“We declare that any attempt to weaken the office of the National Youth Leader through factional manoeuvres or personal power struggles will be fiercely resisted. We cannot risk sending the wrong signal to millions of young Nigerians who look to the APC for inclusion, opportunity, and political advancement.”

The forum commended Israel for initiatives including the establishment of the APC Youth House and Nest Resource Centre, which it said had provided digital skills development, vocational training and capacity-building opportunities for young people.

In his remarks, the forum’s convener, Hon. Segun Tomori, said the controversy surrounding the campaign vehicles was part of a broader concern about what he described as attempts to undermine the authority of the National Youth Leader.

Tomori urged aggrieved party members to channel their complaints through the appropriate authorities rather than engage in actions capable of escalating tensions or creating parallel centres of authority.

He said: “Our focus should be on campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu, promoting the Renewed Hope Agenda and explaining the need to sustain the ongoing reforms, rather than engaging in bickering or attempts to undermine constituted authority within the party’s youth structure.” he said.

Also speaking, a member of the forum from Imo State, Hon. Gerald Chinonso Nworisa, said the controversy was not merely about the distribution of vehicles, noting that Israel had facilitated other opportunities for youth leaders, including international training programmes.

Nworisa said not every youth leader could receive a vehicle but argued that the broader impact of the initiatives should be considered.

The forum’s secretary, Hon. Olabisi Fatimah Akorede, urged young party members to communicate government programmes to Nigerians, particularly interventions in education and support for students through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

She also cited humanitarian and educational interventions aimed at supporting out-of-school children and people affected by crises, particularly in the North-East.

Akorede said the initiatives should form part of the information that APC youth leaders communicate to citizens as they mobilise support for the administration.

Similarly, the forum’s Contact and Mobilisation Director, Bukie Okangbe, said the National Youth Leader had facilitated training opportunities for young people in countries including China, the United Kingdom and Ghana.

Okangbe said some beneficiaries of programmes at the APC Youth House were not politicians but young people receiving salaries and opportunities for professional development.

She also claimed that the controversial Prado vehicles were facilitated by private businessmen rather than the government, urging stakeholders to understand the circumstances surrounding the initiative before drawing conclusions.

Okangbe appealed to APC youth stakeholders to avoid internal conflict, saying divisions within the party could undermine President Tinubu’s re-election campaign.