Youths gradually taking rightful place in politics – Adamu Aliyu

 

Adamu Aliyu, PhD, an aspirant  to the position of North Central Zonal Youth leader in the All Progressives Congress (APC), in this interview told MUHAMMAD TANKO SHITTU, the motivation behind his aspiration, expresses optimism that the convention will hold come 26th March 2022 and sundry issues.
Excerpts:
The APC has scheduled its national convention, having postponed it twice, how feasible is the March 26 convention?The APC being a ruling party, with millions of members in its fold is getting well prepared to conduct the convention as planned. The fact that our planned convention couldn’t hold does not mean that we cannot get it well. I think the national leadership of the APC is taking time to organise a convention that will not only produce credible leadership in our party but that which can stand the test of time. I am optimistic, and it is glaringly visible that the convention will hold as scheduled, more so that our national leader President Muhammadu Buhari, has stressed that no other postponement will be made.
The issue of a consensus candidate for the chairmanship position and zoning of the presidential candidate are major factors hindering the convention. How smooth do you think it will go?I think it is normal in every democratic settings to have challenges like the ones we are having in the APC. The fact that many people, well respected and experienced personalities in our country’s democracy are aspiring to be national chairman of the APC is enough reason to showcase that the party is still very much on ground and also focused for good governance by entrenching true democracy. All the national chairmanship aspirants are persons with competences, capabilities and experiences that is required to lead the party, but it is not possible for all of them to be at the same time, and even though the constitution of our great party stipulates that election shall hold, but it is also promoting and advancing consensus as a gentle way to arrive at who becomes the national chairman. Thank God that even President Buhari is supporting the consensus method and we are looking up to him to point a direction which we will all follow, so it is going to be an easy thing which at the end of it all we will prove our adversaries wrong. On the issue of which zone to present presidential candidate for the 2023 general election, we will also cross over when the convention final holds, which, Insha’ Allah, will hold as planned. We are taken one thing at a time.
How sure are you that the national convention will hold when zonal congresses are yet to hold?Everything is a gradual process, the party’s constitution has specified that zonal congress shall hold before the national convention, date has been fixed for zonal congress and I am sure it will hold.Mind you, I am an aspirant vying for the position of zonal youth leader for the North-Central zone and again I am telling you that soon, the congress will hold seamlessly. 
You aspired to be nominated by the APC in the February 2022 bye-primary election to represent Bassa/Jos-North Federal Constituency, now you are aspiring to become the Zonal Youth Leader. What prompted the aspiration?Yes, I have aspired to be nominated for the last bye-election into Bassa/Jos-North Federal Constituency, which I lost out in the party primary, but to me, that is not the end of it all. As a youth, my earlier quest was driven by myriads of request from my constituency with majority of youths wanting me to vie for the Bassa/Jos-North federal constituency, and having missed it, they further approached me and placed another request to vie for the zonal youth leader to represent the North Central zone and after wider consultation I have no option than to heed to their calls. It is not just enough to seat back to criticise someone in leadership position, but it is good enough to strive to be there so that you can also put in your contribution towards advancing good leadership. As youth, we have a lot to contribute to reshaping our country and so to me, opportunities like this will no longer be allowed to fizzle out without attempting at it and I am hopeful and confident that we will emerge victorious.
What difference does it make if you eventually emerge?Team work is the first thing they should expect from us, for the first time, the youth are aspiring for the position of the national youth leader, I am also a youth, so you can see that we are trying to get our rightful positions in the affairs of the party, this is implying that we are heading to getting some significant elective positions in the 2023 general elections. We will impact positive and exemplary leadership at both zonal and national levels and this will be achieved by constant consultation with our contemporaries. Without leadership position, I have been supporting political aspiration of many youth, it is evident that lots of our contemporaries have enjoyed our support as they pursue their educational quest and it is our hope that we will use the zonal position to further advance the genuine cause of the youth. We have in place a good plan that will ensure that the youth are accorded the desired attention and not only paying attention to their plight but we will make ensure that at all levels of governance, the youth is taken along where necessary.What do you think should be done to actualise the quest for youths to be elected in the 2023 elections and not only positions within the party?Nigerian youths are talented, we have all the capacity and capabilities to deliver good governance all that wee need is encouragement to do that and we can prove that we will do it better. It is my view that we have previously failed to push our quest with all seriousness and determination but today, we are rightly pushing for it. At least for the first time, a young man has taken the national youth leader of the PDP, today we are pursuing similar cause in the APC, and so we will continue to push untill we are able to get to the right directions. Besides, getting national positions at party levels, we will also strategically work towards ensuring that the youth get the tickets of governorship, state and National Assemblies in the forthcoming general elections. We will collectively synergise to achieve this, we are the registered majority of our individual political parties, an advantage we failed to leverage on in the past.Are you satisfied with the way Governor Mai Mala Buni’s committee is leading the APC?Knowing fully the situation in which the party found itself prior to the evolution of the Governor Mai Mala Buni’s-led extra-ordinary caretaker committee, every sensible and reasonable member of the APC will be satisfied with the decision that brought the committee in place. Leadership goes with great burden and every human being is fallible, but the Buni-lead committee is doing a great job for the overall progress of the APC.