by Deji Abiodun
National Youths Wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has threatened to mobilize Nigerian youths and indeed all APC’s supporters to occupy the Aso Presidential Villa and major cities in Nigeria should the general elections be postponed for the second time.
The youth warned that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the presidency must respect the new dates for the general elections.
It added that though the leadership of the party accepted the previous changes to show recourse to rule of law, it however would do everything necessary within the ambit of the law to ensure that the authorities do not contemplate any further postponement of the election.
At a meeting organized in Abuja yesterday by the National Youth Leader of the party, Alhaji Ibrahim Jalo Dasuki, State and zonal youth leaders of the youth wing gathered to take the decision.
Speaking at the meeting, Dasuki, expressed confident that his party will be victorious in the coming elections.
He said: “Even though we know that what they have done was based on political reasons because they truely know that if election would be held that time they will definitely lose, and we want to tell them that no matter the number of times they shift the election we will definitely win these elections.
“We want to tell them that we have accepted it has our leaders have accepted but election will be held on the 28 of March and that 28 remain sacrosanct because we will not tolerate any other shift in election dates. As law abiding citizens we have accepted it but if it come to a point that the government and INEC does not want to conduct election we will definitely have to take the necessary steps legally possible.
“Why this meeting is special is because elections are around the corner in less than four weeks, therefore we have to sit down, strategise and come up with a workable program that all of us will key in and also to set a time line on how we go about campaigning to ensure that we get victory.”
Jalo who also reacted to the speculations that the INEC chairman, Prof. Jega may be show the way out of office before the rescheduled elections however said that the party was not interested in who stays on as the chairman of the electoral management body.
What mattered most, according to him, was who would conduct a free, free and credible elections.
He however said that Jega has shown a lot of finesses and readiness to do a good job “therefore, he should be allow to continue his good job because if they remove him that will take us back and everything has to start afresh from the beginning, even though they have no reason whatsoever to do that.”
He described the party presidential candidate, General Mohammadu Buahri as a credible candidate and choice of Nigerians in the elections given his incorruptible stance.
Also speaking, the APC Northwest zonal youth leader, Barr. Sheu Marshal, said: “Our position is that the March 28 and April election dates are sacrosanct otherwise we will occupy Aso Rock and other major cities in Nigeria.”
The meeting brought together all the youths leaders from the six geo political zones and the 36 states of the federation.
