The new National Youth Leader of All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Israel, Monday in Abuja called on the party to slash the price of nomination forms for electoral offices for its youth aspirants, just as it has done for women and people with disabilities.
As the party gears towards electioneering activities ahead of 2023, the 36-year-old youth leader who emerged from the consensus of the just-concluded national convention argued that a price slash in forms would embolden many capable youths to throw in their lots for national and sub-national offices.
Israel made his case while addressing a press conference Monday at the APC National Secretariat saying that the party can afford to reduce nomination form fees by 35 or 4 per cent since women currently pay 50 per cent less.
He said, “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.
With that strong force that we have, the collective voice that we have, we can work together and I will go into such rooms like the National Working Committee 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 per cent, 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.”
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Fielding a question on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of University, ASSU, Israel said he would work with other youth groups, identify key stakeholders in the education sector and hold talks with them to hasten the end of the strike.
He said, “Education is vital for us. What we are going to be doing as a council of youth leaders, is to be able to sit down and begin to identify the stakeholders we are supposed to engage with to push issues.
“We are going to attempt to also sit down with other stakeholders, especially the Minister of Education to also lend our voice. We are not part of the major stakeholders but we can only go to intervene, advocate and also lobby in our own way.”
Israel emerged youth leader of the governing party after other aspirants such as Dada Olusegun and the daughter of the winner of the June 12 presidential elections, Moshood Abiola, Rinsola Abiola, withdrew from the race.