The Progressive Niger Delta Youths Coalition has advised the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider picking Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello as running mate for the 2023 election.
Speaking at a press conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, Coalition’s Publicity Secretary, Ekpenyong Mathias said they arrived at the decision to advocate for the Niger governor being a young leader who can bridge the wide gap between generations.
Mathias said the youth of Nigeria have been severely marginalized in the scheme of things in the country with elderly leaders monopolizing the total political space since independence.
He argued that with the general consensus that Tinubu’s vice should come from the north, desirable and tactical to consider micro-zoning the position to the North-central and specially to Niger state.
“It is clearly on record that of all the six geopolitical zones in the country, the North-Central remains the only zone that has never had the opportunity to contest for even the vice presidency since inception of this fourth republic.
“Based on this reality and after due consultation, to call on the APC and its presidential candidate, Tinubu to micro-zoned the slot to Niger state and make Governor Sani Bello as the vice presidential candidate,” Mathias said.
He explained that the choice of Sani Bello is based on the critical roles he has been playing as a “stabilising force” during the party’s dire moments.
According to him, as the Chairman of the North Central States Governors’ Forum, Sani Bello is also a member of the defunct APC’s caretaker committee which paved the way for the party’s national convention, where a new leadership was put in place.
