Nigerian youths who descended in large numbers on Abeokuta, Ogun State for a national summit claim that former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s endorsement of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi is personal and that he cannot tell them who to vote for in the upcoming general elections.
Hon. Seyi Bamigbade, national director-general of the APC Professionals Council, asserted that the former president cannot play god because Nigeria’s democracy has advanced past the point at which one person decides who becomes the leader.
In response to Obasanjo’s endorsement of Obi, he stated that it would not have an impact on the margin of victory of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate, who he predicted would win by a landslide next month.
Bamigbade accused the former of expressing frustration over his inability to control the current government.
According to Bamigbade, what matters most is acceptability among the Nigerian populace, which he said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu enjoys among the Nigerian young population as clearly indicated in the mammoth crowd that besiege the party’s rallies across the states.
“As young people, you should not be distracted by the antics of a former president who merely exercises his political rights. You know in whose hand your future is better protected and secured, you know the candidate who from his days as governor in Lagos has made the development and welfare of young people a top agenda.
“You should not fall for that distraction, do not be misled by the attitude which falls far below that of a statesman, rather let your eye be on the ball, towards taking a strategic action targeted at securing your future, ” he said.
Earlier, the national president of Concerned Youths Electoral Credibility (CYEC) Engr. Paul Chinonso said the action of the former president falls short of a statesman, insisting that they will vote for APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in the next month’s presidential election.
He said Obasanjo does not have the right to decide for Nigerians the direction to vote in choosing their leader, accusing the former president of presiding over the profligacy and corruption that crippled the country during his days as president.
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