By 
Abiodun OBA
The choice of Kashim Shettima, a former governor of Borno, as the running mate of Bola Tinubu, the party’s presidential candidate has been rejected.
A coalition of support groups in the All Progressives Congress (APC) resolved that Shettima was unacceptable to the over 30 million youths of the country.
The 13 Youth groups from the six geo-political zones in the country including the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), in a letter to Tinubu also declared that after months of consultations and interaction across ethnic and religious divides, it was agreed that it would be in the interest of the youths to present to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the APC, Dr Ibrahim Bello Dauda also known as EL-DABI the party’s presidential running mate.
The Youth groups were made up of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ex-Militant Generals in Niger Delta, National Association of University Students, (NAUS), National Association of Polytechnic Students, (NAPS), National Association of Nigerian Colleges of Education Students (NANCES) and All Farmers Progressive Association (AFPA).
Others include the Yoruba General Assembly (YGA), the Coalition of Northern Christian Youth Groups, The EL-DABI Grassroot Mobilization Movement, The EL-DABI Support Groups, EL-DABI Women Support Network and other Numerous Youth and Women Support Groups for EL-DABI in all the 774 Local Government areas of Nigeria, including EL-DABI professionals in politics who have endorsed EL-DABI.
The groups, in a resolution reached after a deliberation argued that “the youths, as key stakeholders in the polity of the nation will resist and work against the pairing of Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima Mustapha for the 2023 presidential elections”.
The statement made available to newsmen in Yenagoa and signed by the Director of Communication for the Youths Coalition, Comrade Salisu Olowonikoko, stated that the youth groups involved are “not only a major stakeholder in the Niger Delta, but as Nigerians, we owe our nation a duty in ensuring that quality leadership emerges, as the nation moves towards another very important exercise of electing her leaders in 2023”.
According to groups; “it is notable and worthy to say that youth and women constitute the largest percentage of the electorate and are the most affected by the type of leadership produced. Therefore, we are very interested in who leads our nation at different levels of governance”.
They declared that after months of consultations and interaction across ethnic and religious divide, “we agreed that it is in the interest of the youths to present to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the APC Dr Ibrahim Bello Dauda also known as EL-DABI.
“Today, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) also joined all the above-mentioned groups in making our position known to Nigerians and indeed the whole world and after several consultations within the Niger delta, we have resolved to adopt Dr Ibrahim Bello Dauda EL-DABI, as the representative the youth.
“Dauda is not to us a Christian or a Muslim, a Northerner or Southerner, but a unifier and an example of patriotism personified. We therefore strongly appeal to APC to adopt him as running mate to the candidate of the party.
“You have our full assurance that the IYC will work tirelessly to ensure support for the party if our humble request is granted. This will demonstrate beyond words the youth inclusion drive of the APC and will foster the re-unification of the youth and people of our dear country Nigeria.
“It is time we do away with the sentiment and emotions that have driven us apart as a people. We have co-existed peacefully without these sentiments, and we strongly believe that we will be better off without it. Let leadership be about values, integrity, character, ethics, and patriotism, and not about sentiments. Dr. Ibrahim Bello Dauda – with a proven track record, amazing personality will bridge the generational gab between the old and the young.
“He is a detribalized Nigerian of very high repute and integrity, a thorough bred professional, a technocrat and, an advocate for digital leadership for sustainable development. Apart of being a Chartered Management Accountant, EL-DABI is a certified Project and Program manager, a certified Risk and Loan Manager, a certified Forensic Graphologist.
“He also possesses a Professional Diploma in Intelligence, Certified in Cyber security, Professional Diploma in Criminology and Security Studies with verifiable certificate from International Security Organisation, (ISO).”
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