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• Young aspirants lament financial, logistics hurdles
• Former ACF scribe, Sani faults opposition to direct primaries
Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin, has said the party is on a mission to rescue Nigeria in 2023, following alleged misrule of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Jibrin, who spoke on decline in the country’s fortune since President Muhammadu Buhari took office in 2015, said: “Today, every Nigerian knows the country is in problems. Nigeria is in trouble through various policies of this government and we are in disarray.”
He described insecurity as a major problem, which has destabilised the nation, regretting that Buhari had been unable to find a solution. He was, however, optimistic that the PDP “is poised to come back and rescue the nation in 2023”.
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THIS came as Coalition of North Central Groups (CNCG) urged the party to zone its 2023 presidential ticket to North Central.
CNCG chairman, Salahudeen Lukman, who made the call at the weekend in Abuja, said: “The reason for this are very obvious. The North Central geopolitical zone is the only one that has not been privileged to produce a democratically elected president or vice president in the political history of Nigeria. Therefore, for equity and justice, the North Central zone should be considered, this time around.”
He added: “PDP remains the last hope of the masses, to move them out of the poverty, hunger and insecurity bedevilling our dear nation today. As we strive to avoid the viruses that have afflicted the APC and its administration, our great party, the PDP, should make conscious and concerted efforts to ensure that equity and justice prevail.”
ALSO, ahead of the February 2022 area council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), some young aspirants identified poor financial base and logistics support as hurdles to clinching political offices.
The chairmanship and councillorship hopefuls made this known at a town hall meeting in Abuja, convened by YIAGA Africa, under the Not Too Young to Win initiative.
One aspirant, on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Juliet Iyakhere, faulted structures within political parties, saying many of them lack internal democracy.
MEANWHILE, in a statement at the weekend, Arewa chieftain, Elder Anthony Sani, cautioned party leaders against opposing the use of direct primaries in the 2023 general elections.
He said: Direct primaries afford all party members opportunity to participate in the selection of party candidates for elective offices. That way, party members would own the processes and the candidates. It will also reduce the prevalence of imposition of candidates, often associated with governors and moneybags.”
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