See Press Statement below:
TIME FOR RESTORATION
BEING A PRESS TEXT BY COMRADE ELLIOT AFIYO, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, NORTHERN YOUTH LEADERS’ FORUM (NYLE) ON THE 9TH OF JUNE 2021 AT YOLA, ADAMAWA STATE.
Protocols.
Preamble
It is no longer news that the Northern Youth Leaders Forum (a Forum comprises of 42 Northern Youth Groups) has been saddled with the responsibility of shortlisting, investigating, screening and endorsing a credible Candidate for every Presidential election by her Patrons since 1999 till date. This onerous and patriotic task is considered among many others, as a necessity and the most important duty by the NYLF which is being pursued vigorously and religiously by the Forum since 1999 to 2019.
It is in this line of action that NYLF during her 27th Delegates Conference here in Yola unanimously decided that our Candidate should be unveiled within two weeks after the Conference. In view of this decision, we address you today in order to unveiling our choice Candidate.
The NYLF initially shortlisted 27 Candidates during our National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Gombe on the 4th of February, 2021. These Candidates were presented to our Political Committee headed by Dr. Sani Musa as Chairman and Prof. Abdullahi Sadiq Abubakar as Secretary and was given two months to complete the screening and prune them to 3 Candidates.
Consequently, the Committee did a thorough job being Political and Intelligence Experts and finally submitted 3 names to the National Executive Committee (NEC).
These names were properly screened by the NEC during our NEC meeting in Kano on the 17th of May, 2021 and two of the three names were adopted and qualified for voting. During our Delegates Conference last two weeks in Yola, it was resolved that the voting will take place on the 4th of June, 2021 at Abuja.
Following a definite move and subsequent genuine calls for the unveiling of our Candidate by the majority of our teeming Members and Nigerians especially the Northerners, it was resolved last week that the voting must be done on the 9th of June, 2021 and the unveiling of the voted Candidate to the public be done thereafter.
Consequent upon this resolution, the voting was carried out some minutes ago and the unveiling is to be done now accordingly.
It is pertinent to note that all the Members of the National Executive Committee are present and voted for the first time since the establishment of this Forum except Prof. Abdullahi S. Abubakar, Engr. Hakeem Bello and Dr. Sani Musa. Also, for the first time in the history of NYLF, an independent body was invited to conduct the voting and security personnel were asked to stay away from the voting center. This is to avoid any pressure on the Members. The voting process was transparent and acceptable to all the Delegates irrespective of their directions and support.
NUMBER OF DELEGATES = 145
- National Officers =
- Chairmen of the Associations =
- Representatives of Patrons =
- Secretaries =
Total =
TOTAL VOTES SCORED BY CANDIDATES = 145
- Senator Bala Mohammed = 116
- Chief Raymond Dokpesi = 28
- Invalid Votes = 1
Ladies and Gentlemen, from the above statistics, you will agree with us that Senator. Bala Mohammed scored the highest votes, and therefore met the requirements as specified by our Constitution for the endorsement. Having agreed with us, I hereby declare today the 9th of June, 2021 that the NYLF the umbrella body of the 42 Northern Youth Groups has publicly endorsed Senator. Bala Mohammed as our choice Candidate for the 2023 Presidential Election under any Political Party.
UNVEILING OF CHOICED CANDIDATE
For the benefit of doubt for some of you that may not identify Senator. Bala Mohammed physically, we hereby unveil the different faces of our choiced Candidate and we strongly believed and truly too, that he will surely fix our dear Nation-Nigeria.
To this end, I am hereby directing all our Members in Nigeria and abroad, to immediately commence consultations, lobbying and campaigning for the choiced Candidate even though we are yet to contact him.
We would like to state clearly that by this directive, all the 42 affiliated Youth Groups and other Youth Groups that their applications for affiliation are pending, who are observers today, have resolved and an equivocally too, to work assiduously and collectively to ensure the logical conclusion of our resolution.
This endorsement however, does not and will not stop any group from endorsing any candidate of their choice. But for us in NYLF and all the affiliated groups our endorsement of Senator. Bala Mohammed remains sacrosanct and this is our standpoint and there is no going back.
All our groups and indeed our Members are advised to disregard any directive or information except through our official channel and our code (number) for 2023 must be quoted. This is to avoid the confusion caused by some politicians in 2007.
A DUTY CALL OBEY
In lieu of the above thereof, we are calling on Senator. Bala Mohammed as a matter of patriotism, to accept this decision of the Forum to contest the 2023 Presidency under any Political Party of his choice.
We want to state clearly that he has no choice as his refusal will be considered or is tantamount to betrayal of trust and confidence by the teeming Northern Youth. We are not threatening him, but to tell him the gospel truth that his failure to come out now, will deny him his vibrant political future because we will ensure that we work against him politically and discredit whatever his political achievements if he fails to give us genuine and convincing reason why he would not contest in the 2023 presidential election.
We want to use this opportunity to also congratulate High. Chief. Raymond Dokpesi who came second out of 27 people that were shortlisted. NYLF has no doubt that High. Chief. Raymond Dokpesi, has the capacity to fix our Nation-Nigeria we can proudly vouch for his integrity, doggedness, fairness and honesty. We are indeed very proud to having him in our generations. We sincerely appeal to him, to genuinely remain faithful and contribute to the peaceful co-existence of our Nation.
We would like to appreciate the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Chairman and Secretary Adamawa State Chapter, for accepting to conduct this historic election on behalf of our Political Committee. We also extend our sincere appreciation to all the Journalists in Adamawa State for their support, encouragement and understanding to NYLF since 1994. We say a big thank you.
We cannot conclude this event without appreciating the Executive Governor of Adamawa State Rt. (Hon) Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for the unparallel infrastructural development in the State. We are amazed and highly overwhelmed with what we are seeing in the State. It is our sincere prayer that God will continue to guide him.
We also like to appeal to him to consider a monthly-stipends as palliatives for the Youths and other less privileges in the State.
CONCLUSION
We want to reiterate our genuine commitment to the Nigerian project and ensure her corporate existence by putting the National interest above any other interest. We are aware of threats, intimations, blackmails and others, which always come after every of our endorsement from Nigerians, we are also prepared for such.
We are ever determined to ensure that justice and equity reign supreme in Nigeria in order to secure our future and the future of the generations yet unborn. We want to assure Nigerians that the problems of insecurity, poverty and unemployment bedeviling our country will soon be over, Therefore, Nigerians should continue to have faith in God and pray without ceasing.
Nigeria definitely will be restored.
Thank, you all and God bless you.
Comrade Elliot Afiyo
National Chairman
