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General News of Tuesday, 27 September 2022

Source: www.premiumtimesng.com

APC group demands removal of Gov Yahaya Bello as youth coordinator of APC campaign council

Yahaya Bello Yahaya Bello

A group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the removal of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State as the National Youths Co-ordinator of the party’s presidential campaign council.

The group, Presidential Support Council (PSC), said Mr Bello should be removed from the position for opposing power shift to the south in the build-up to the APC presidential primary in June.

Last week, the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, announced the 47 years old Kogi State governor as the coordinator of youth mobilisation of his campaign council.

Kassim Muhammad, the leader of the group, in a press statement on Monday, said Mr Bello’s position against the rotation of power to the south makes him unfit to serve in the council.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that all APC governors and presidential-aspirants, excluding Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and ex-Senate President Ken Nnamani, have been included in the 422-member campaign council.

Mr Bello, who contested the APC presidential primary had reportedly rejected the five-member list produced by the APC governors in June.

The governors had shortlisted five aspirants; Mr Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti as preferred aspirants, but Mr Bello opposed the arrangement. He contested and lost the primaries.

Mr Muhammad said Mr Bello is not within the youth bracket, hence he should be given another position, not youth coordinator.

“During the sales of forms for the build-up to the 2023 general election, APC as a party in its magnanimity approved that all youthful age aspirants should pay 40 per cent of the nomination forms fee but Yahaya Bello, not being a youth, paid 100 per cent of the N100 million sum.

“It means the party itself didn’t recognise him as a youth. If the party had recognised him as a youth, he wouldn’t have paid N100 million for the nomination form,” he said.

Mr Muhammad also lamented the exclusion of youth in the 422-campaign council released by the party.

He noted that youth must be given a sense of belonging by the party and Mr Tinubu.

“The party and its presidential candidate should give youths the assurance that their government will be that of inclusivity, and the only way to do that is to ensure that a youth is given such a position,” he said.

The party is set to flag off its presidential campaign in line with the timetable of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).