Youth groups under the aegies of the National Coalition of Youth and Students (NACOYS) have called on vice president Yemi Osibajo to run for the office of the presidency in 2023.
This was stated on Monday at a media briefing in Abuja, Festus Ofume, NACOYS national coordinator.
According to Ofume, Osinbajo is “most qualified” to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ofume said the vice-president has “empathy” for youths and an understanding of the economy.
“For the future of Nigeria, we firmly believe that the man, Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON, is the best qualified for the office of the president, especially with his intellectual accomplishment, empathy for the younger generation, understanding of the economy and the fact that he has the experience of being an acting president and vice-president with uncompromised passion to consolidate on the achievements of the last seven years,” the coordinator said.
“Being the most viable candidate for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we shall, in the best of today’s youth and coming generations, strive towards the election of professor Yemi Osinbajo as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023.
“At our enlarged meeting held at Abuja on the 10th day of January, 2022, we unanimously endorsed Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as our candidate for the top job of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the 2023 general election.
“We came to this conclusion after due consultations nationwide and after a thorough assessment of all he has done over the past seven years.
“Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is not only the best qualified among all the names being mentioned as potential aspirants, he is also the most qualified in terms of practical potentials towards redressing issues of deep concern such as the rule of law and unemployment.
“He has consistently demonstrated deep passion for impactful economic policies and we all know a bit about his roles in the Economic Recovery and Growth Project (ERGP) and other policies targeting macro-economic stability and restoration of economic growth.”
Ofume said in line with the calls for power shift to the south, Osinbajo is the “best” since he is from the south-west region.
“We know that Mr. Yemi Osinbajo will select his running mate from the north to balance the political equation and ensure effective representation of the north for national interest and the interest of future generations,” Ofume said.
“After due consideration and a nationwide sampling of opinions among the youths and students across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, we came to the firm conclusion that professor Yemi Osinbajo is a well-liked and highly acceptable figure to people across the country.
“We are in no doubt that he is best qualified to foster national unity and quench the incessant aggressive quest for self-determination and demarcation of Nigeria.”
Groups said to make up the coalition are listed below;
1) North Central Youth Assembly of Nigeria (NCYAN)
2) ECOWAS Youth Parliament
3) Kwara YouthMovement
4) Association of Northern Nigeria Students
5) Arewa Youth And Students Assembly (AYASA)
6) Arewa Youth Parliament (AYP)
7) National Youth Progressive Front Usman Mubarak
8) Sir Ahmadu Bello Youth Council of Nigeria (ABYCN)
9) National Association of University Students (NAUS)
10) Nigeria Good Governance And Transparency Initiative
11) National Youth Awareness Group
12) APC National Students Vanguard
13) Association of Northern Yoruba Students
14) Arewa Youths Congress of Nigeria
15) Petroleum Training Institute SUG
16) Federal Polytechnic Offa SUG
17) Delta State University Abraka SUG
18) Rufus Giwa Polytechnic SUG
19) Akwa Ibom State University SUG
20) Federal University of Technology Akure SUG
21) University of Benin SUG
22) Northern Yoruba Youth Forum
23) National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS)
24) National Forum For Youths and Women Education Development
25) Auchi Polytechnic SUG
26) Coalition of North Central Vanguard
27) Part-time Students’ Union Government
28) Ufedo Udama Meetings of Ojoku Sons Daughters
29) Nigeria Alliance of Muslim and Christan Youth (NAMCY)
30) Arewa Youth Forum (Kogi Chapter)
31) Arewa Awareness Parliament
32) Concerned Benue Youth For Good Governance
33) Inext Youths Forum (IYF) Oyo State
34) Arewa Youth Assembly
35) Unified Nigerian Youth Forum
36) Arewa Youth Peace Initiative (AYPI)
37) Nigerian Women Peace Initiative Association
(NWPIA)
38) National Youth’s Awareness Group
39) National Association of Business Administration and Management Students
40) (Kogi State Polytechnic Chapter)
41) Igala Youth Forum
42) Intellectual Youth Alliance of Nigeria
43) Northern Youth Council of Nigeria
44) Kogi Youth Progressive Movement
45) Coalition for Youth Engagement for Better Nigeria
46) Ebira Peace Movement Initiative (EPMI)
47) Young Farmers Cooperative
48) Oyo Students’ Collective
49) Nigeria Renaissance Group
50) Young Futurists of Enugu
51) New Wave Orientals
52) Adamawa Young Pioneers
53) Creek Champions’ Campaign for Development
54) Omo’badan Progressive Youth Circle
55) Youth for New Lagos