About 19 former youth leader aspirants who were zoned out of the contest have collapsed their structures and declared support for emergence of Olusegun Dada as the next National Youth Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Olusegun Dada who returned his nomination form to the APC national secretariat on Friday were accompanied by the said 19 former aspirants across the country, young women wing and many other stakeholders among the large crowd.
Speaking with newsmen after the form’s submission, the leading youths leader aspirant said said his campaign to contest for the position started in 2020, adding that the show of support he has received signify manifestation of the people’s belief in his candidacy.
Dada Olusegun said: “We owe the mandate to the young people of our party. We have been to all parts of the country and we believe that our manifesto, when implemented give the young people of our party the right opportunities in the All Progressives Congress and Nigeria at large.
“We are appealing to our leaders to understand that this is a youth constituency and we as the young people deserve the right to choose those who are able to represent us in the National Working Committee (NWC) of out party and I have presented myself as the best foot forward and champion for our young people in this great party to push for everything that they deserve. And I have given my word here and now that I will never ever disappoint you.
“I will fight for your rights, I will lobby for your rights, I will negotiate for your rights. I will do everything within my power to protect the confidence you have given me,” Dada added.
Speaking on behalf of Northern aspirants who collapsed their structuresfor Dada’s aspiration, Barrister Khalifa Binu Yayah, described Dada as a nationalist who should be trusted.
Yayah said: “We are using this opportunity to call on our brothers from all the 19 Northern states to endorse Dada because he is someone who has worked for this party,” Yayah said.
Speaking on behalf of Progressive Young women in the party, Kemi Asekun revealed that young women in the APC have also endorsed Dada Olusegun.
“We believe that he has everything it takes to carry the young women along. Dada Olusegun is one person who have not left the women behind. We are all behind him, we know that he can deliver and we will give him all our support.
“We know that he is the person who can lead us as a youth and he is someone who sees women not as second class citizens but as as people who can contribute positively to governance especially for a party that says it is progressive. We support him, we endorse him and we believe in him,” Asekun said.
On his own, South-South Youth Leader Aspirants, Dagogo Fubara, said Dada’s endorsement is a “unanimous agreement.
“We must go in line with the decision of the party that the South West should produce the National Youth Leader of the party. And in line with that, we have decided to give total support to one of our own, one of our committed faithful – Segun Dada.
“We are in line with him and we are all going to go out there to give him full support at Eagle Square and we are calling our delegates from all wards to throw in their support for Segun dada.”
In his own, the convener of APC Rebirth, Aliyu Audu, also declared support for the candidacy of Dada Olusegun and appealed to the leaders not to impose anyone on the youth wing of the party, warning that such move may lead to apathy among young people that support and believe in the party.
He further warned that any attempt to impose anyone on the youth constituency will be met with stiff resistance.
While appreciating the support, spokesman of the Dada Olusegun Campaign, Saminu Ahmed, said young people in the party have agreed unanimously on Olusegun Dada for the sake of peace and unity in the party.
“We want to use this medium to appeal to the youth and leadership of this party to see that our candidate sail through,” he stated.
