Pick Youth As Guber Candidates, Coalition Appeal to Parties

By Our Reporter

The Benue South Youth Coalition (BSYC) has appealed to all political parties in the state to pick youths as running mates to all their governorship candidates for the 2023 polls.

The Chairman, Ochetoha K'Idoma Youth Wing, Comrade Gideon Obande and the Secretary, Igede youth Council, Comrade Anderson Egbodo made the appeal during a press conference held on Friday in Makurdi.

They further appealed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pick Dr Peter Adejoh as the running mate to Mr Titus Uba, the party's governorship standard bearer.

"This will go a long way to give the youths a sense of belonging thereby participating massively in the electoral process.

"We the youth constitute the largest number of the voting population in the state and elsewhere," the duo said.

They also commended the youth for their outstanding conduct in the state throughout the period of the primary elections conducted by the various political parties.

"The orderly manner in which we conducted ourselves during the primaries was a clear affirmation of the readiness and commitment of the youth to take up leadership roles.

"The youth played very vital roles in the emergence of gubernatorial candidates in the two major political parties in the state, that is the PDP and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

"In view of the fact that young people between the ages of 18 and 45 dominate the country’s voting population, there is no contention as to the reality that the nation's youth population is critical to the emergence of a governor of our dear state, Benue and our country Nigeria in 2023.

"There is therefore a need to give the young population a place in the political scheme of things in the state by picking them as running mates for governorship candidates. 

"There is no gain in saying that a lot of young people in Benue South have shown capacity to lead at any level. 

"Dr. Peter Adejoh, Mr Sam Odeh and others too numerous to mention have at different times in their various fields demonstrated competence and readiness to transform the state if given the opportunity to serve

"Someone like Adejoh, a seasoned technocrat has a large following of young people across party lines through his empowerment schemes and the job opportunities he has created for the youth across the country," they said. 

They further called on all political parties in the state to ensure the inclusion of the young generation of the 30s, 40s and early 50s in leadership positions particularly as running mates to governorship candidates.