2019: South-west youth reject Atiku

The Progressive Yoruba Youth Congress (PYYC) has warned the south-west zone against voting Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election.

At a press conference in Ondo state on Tuesday, the group warned that voting Atiku and the PDP into power would have grave consequences for the south west geo-political zone between 2019 and 2023.

According to PYYC, the PDP government of Goodluck Jonathan neglected the south-west.

Kola Salawu, national president of PYYC, said the region, which has the second highest number of registered voters and highly intellectual professionals, was denied any meaningful position in the top hierarchy of political office holders.

He recalled that at some point, there was nobody from the south-west region occupying any of the top ten positions in the country.

“The south-west through its major political leaders decided to act. They pushed for alliances with other political parties across the country to form the new All Progressives Congress (APC). They mobilised the south-west to vote the new party which ultimately resulted to victory the APC at the polls,” he said.

“Let us not forget that the neglect by the PDP was not only political but also infrastructural. The party for whatever reason barely completed or even carried out any major project in the south-west. The Lagos-Ibadan express way, the busiest in the country was abandoned. The Benin–Ore expressway was equally abandoned, so also was the Oyo- Ogbomosho road, there was barely any federal presence in the south-west.

“It is however a different ball game under the APC government. Politically, the APC has taken care of the interest of the South West tremendously. The Vice President is from the South west, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representative is also from the South West. The super Minister Babatunde Fsahola in- charge of Ministry of power, works and housing is from the South West, as well as Ministers of Health, Finance, Solid minerals, and Communications.

“The Chief of Defence staff is from the South West, Head of the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) Tunde Fowler. That’s just a few of the numerous positions held by the South West under this dispensation.

“The APC led Federal Government has 68 ongoing road projects in the South West alone amongst the road projects are; Lagos-Ibadan, Lagos- Abeokuta, Oyo -Ogbomosho-Ilorin. 36 power projects in the South West region within the last three years. The Lagos – Ibadan railway project is billed to be completed by December 2018 as work is ongoing on the site day and night with over 2,000 people employed directly or indirectly on the project. It is obvious to all that there is a huge difference in what the South West got under the previous PDP government and what they are getting now.

“The master stroke was the recognition of June 12 as Democracy day and the Honor given to Chief MKO Abiola. Even the Obasanjo government refused every appeal to have this done.

“We urge all sons and daughters of the South west of Nigeria to be politically awake and choose wisely in the forth-coming elections as the decisions we make will determine if the region will continue to enjoy the true benefits of good governance or we go back to the days of total neglect.

“The difference is as clear as crystal, we must work hard to return President Buhari in the 2019 general elections. Long live the federal republic of Nigeria!”