Youth condemn FG’s position against aspiring before 2023

The Generation Next Movement (GNM) has condemned President Muhammadu Buhari’s call on youths not to take advantage of the recently signed Not-Too-YoungTo-Run law by contesting for elective offices in the forthcoming 2019 general elections. The group regretted that President’s call describing it as counterproductive, antiyouth and a deliberate policy thrust of the APCled federal government to shut the youths out of politics. The group’s National Coordinator, Olusola Afuye, who stated this over the weekend, said the political space is large enough to accommodate all interest groups, stressing waiting until 2023 would rubbish the efforts put into making the bill become law. He challenged the president to open the space and allow all Nigerians to participate in 2019, noting without this it would be seen as deliberate policy of the APC government to frustrate youths and stifle democracy. The group further said Buhari’s appeal was a misplacement of priority, adding that the president should come out and test his popularity if he believes he has not overstayed his usefulness in the administration of the country. He said the president’s appeal is not only unacceptable, unlawful, undemocratic but a clear confirmation of his alleged belief that the Nigerian youths are lazy. “We want Nigerians, particularly, the youths, to see President Buhari’s position as a reflection of the APC-led federal government policy designed not to allow our youths the opportunity to aspire to any position of authority at all levels in the country. “The APC still wants to apply use and dump approach by depriving and frustrating youths from the front line participation in politics”, Afuye declared. “It is unimaginable for a President to sign a law and immediately seek to suspend it. Buhari’s posture and attempts to talk down, intimidate the youths from contesting against him in 2019 shows that he is not in support of the new law and only assented to it because he was left with no other option but to succumb to overwhelming public pressure to sign it into law. “We in Generation Next Movement admonished all Nigerians to be alert and wary of the body language of the president, APC’s traps because the Presidency may wish to scuttle the quest of Nigerian youths to participate and aspire for elective offices in 2019”, he said.