Nigerian youths who flocked to Abeokuta, Ogun State, for a National Summit have branded former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of Labour Party Presidential candidate Peter Obi as personal, saying he cannot tell them who to vote for in the upcoming general election.
Speaking at the National Youth Summit, Seyi Bamigbade, National Director General of the APC Professionals Council, stated that Nigeria’s democracy has progressed beyond the point when one person dictates who becomes the leader, and that the former president cannot play god.
While claiming that Obasanjo’s endorsement of Obi will have no effect on the margin of victory of the APC Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, who he claims will win by a landslide next month.
Bamigbade accused the former of lamenting his inability to control the current government.
“What counts most is acceptability among the Nigerian populous, which Asiwaju Bola Tinubu enjoys among the Nigerian young population, as clearly demonstrated by the enormous crowds that besiege the party’s rallies across the states,” according to Bamigbade.
“As young people, you should not be sidetracked by the antics of a former president who is simply exercising his political rights. You know who holds your future in better hands; you know the candidate who has prioritized the development and welfare of young people since his days as governor of Lagos.
“You should not fall for that distraction, do not be fooled by the mentality which falls well below that of a statesman, rather let your focus be on the ball, towards adopting a smart action geared at protecting your future.
“Our great party, the APC, has an exceptional track record of excellent performance that President Muhammadu Buhari profoundly established, a legacy that the incoming President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will maintain.”
Earlier, the National President of Concerned Youths Electoral Credibility, CYEC, Engr. Paul Chinonso, said “the former president’s action falls short of a statesman,” adding that they will vote for APC presidential candidate, Tinubu, in the presidential election next month.
Chinonso stated that “Obasanjo does not have the right to select for Nigerians the direction to vote in picking their leader,” accusing the former president of presided over the country’s profligacy and corruption during his presidency.
In the name of privatization, Obasanjo and his then-vice president, Atiku Abubakar, he claimed, sold all state assets in a questionable and fraudulent manner.
“Recall that Obasanjo paid $3.7 billion to supply electricity and got nothing in return. Atiku confirmed that the funds were not found.
“The same Obasanjo and the other dying party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, brought Global Steel for Ajaokuta steel in 2005. The investors sued for $5 billion, and Buhari paid $496 million to retrieve our inheritance. “Ajaokuta steel is back in business today, an indelible legacy of APC,” Chinonso remarked.
