APC youth leader demands 35% reduction in nomination fee for young politicians 

The newly-elected National Youth Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon. Abdullahi Temidayo Isreal, has officially resumed office, asking the new national leadership of the party for a 35 percent reduction in the cost of nomination forms for the young politicians.

Temidayo, who was elected as consensus candidate after other aspirants stepped down for him at the just concluded national convention in Abuja, said this became necessary as the 2023 general elections approaches so as to enable more youths participate in the process of governance.

Speaking with newsmen Monday at the party secretariat in company of all the zonal youth leaders elected along with him, Isreal said if the party can give the women folk 50% reduction the youths should be able to get 35 or 40% reduction in nomination fee.

“You will agree with me that upon our shoulders, we are coming together to ensure that we have one voice. I represent the face of over 10,000 youth leaders. We that strong force that we have, the collective voice that we have, we work together and I will go into such rooms like the NWC meeting to make a case on behalf of that strong body of the youths across the nation to ensure that our young people get preference. If you are giving women 50%, you should be able to give young people under the age of 35 at least if not 40, the consensus to be able to pay a discounted fee,” Israel said.

Reacting to the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of University (ASSU), the new APC youth leader promised to identify and engage with notable key stakeholders in the education sector to find lasting solutions to the issue.

He said: “The unemployment that we experience in Nigeria is not peculiar to our nation. America is also going through its own challenges right now due to COVID and we know that as Nigerians, we have resources, we have the manpower, we have the strength and with the tenacity of millions of Nigerians who have become entrepreneurs in the agro industry, in Fintech and other different sectors of the economy. 

“What we are going to do is to begin to identify the various stakeholders we need to work with. In the private sector, political sector, the civil society sector and we will begin to engage them on we can find the solution to the challenges facing our nation and our young people.

“What we also want to do is to work with all the publicly elected officials under the APC to begin to ensure that they fulfill their promises. They will make our job easier if they fulfill their promises within the cinfines of their capacity. When they do that, it is easier for us to be able to go to say you see what your governor has done, you see what your commissioner has done, you see what your councilor has done. And it is going to be easy for us to mobilise.

“What is also very important for us is that we want to engage a lot of people in public offices. From commissioners, senor political assistants to councilors in local government. We want to work with them to be able to ensure that they deliver true value to the young people across the country.”