2023: Youth groups ask Osinbajo to contest presidency, say he will unite Nigeria

Youth groups under the umbrella of the National Coalition of Youth and Students (NACOYS) have asked Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to run for the office of the presidency in 2023.

Speaking on Monday at a media briefing in Abuja, Festus Ofume, NACOYS national coordinator, said Osinbajo is “most qualified” to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ofume said the vice-president has “empathy” for youths and an understanding of the economy.

“For the future of Nigeria, we firmly believe that the man, Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON, is the best qualified for the office of the president, especially with his intellectual accomplishment, empathy for the younger generation, understanding of the economy and the fact that he has the experience of being an acting president and vice-president with uncompromised passion to consolidate on the achievements of the last seven years,” the coordinator said.

“Being the most viable candidate for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we shall, in the best of today’s youth and coming generations, strive towards the election of professor Yemi Osinbajo as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023.

“At our enlarged meeting held at Abuja on the 10th day of January, 2022, we unanimously endorsed Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo as our candidate for the top job of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the 2023 general election.

“We came to this conclusion after due consultations nationwide and after a thorough assessment of all he has done over the past seven years.

“Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is not only the best qualified among all the names being mentioned as potential aspirants, he is also the most qualified in terms of practical potentials towards redressing issues of deep concern such as the rule of law and unemployment.

“He has consistently demonstrated deep passion for impactful economic policies and we all know a bit about his roles in the Economic Recovery and Growth Project (ERGP) and other policies targeting macro-economic stability and restoration of economic growth.”

Ofume said in line with the calls for power shift to the south, Osinbajo is the “best” since he is from the south-west region.

“We know that Mr. Yemi Osinbajo will select his running mate from the north to balance the political equation and ensure effective representation of the north for national interest and the interest of future generations,” Ofume said.

“After due consideration and a nationwide sampling of opinions among the youths and students across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, we came to the firm conclusion that professor Yemi Osinbajo is a well-liked and highly acceptable figure to people across the country.

“We are in no doubt that he is best qualified to foster national unity and quench the incessant aggressive quest for self-determination and demarcation of Nigeria.”

Groups said to make up the coalition are listed below;

• North Central Youth Assembly of Nigeria (NCYAN)
• ECOWAS Youth Parliament
• Kwara YouthMovement
• Association of Northern Nigeria Students
• Arewa Youth And Students Assembly (AYASA)
• Arewa Youth Parliament (AYP)
• National Youth Progressive Front Usman Mubarak
• Sir Ahmadu Bello Youth Council of Nigeria (ABYCN)
• National Association of University Students (NAUS)
• Nigeria Good Governance And Transparency Initiative
• National Youth Awareness Group
• APC National Students Vanguard
• Association of Northern Yoruba Students
• Arewa Youths Congress of Nigeria
• Petroleum Training Institute SUG
• Federal Polytechnic Offa SUG
• Delta State University Abraka SUG
• Rufus Giwa Polytechnic SUG
• Akwa Ibom State University SUG
• Federal University of Technology Akure SUG
• University of Benin SUG
• Northern Yoruba Youth Forum
• National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS)
• National Forum For Youths and Women Education Development
• Auchi Polytechnic SUG
• Coalition of North Central Vanguard
• Part-time Students’ Union Government
• Ufedo Udama Meetings of Ojoku Sons Daughters
• Nigeria Alliance of Muslim and Christan Youth (NAMCY)
• Arewa Youth Forum (Kogi Chapter)
• Arewa Awareness Parliament
• Concerned Benue Youth For Good Governance
• Inext Youths Forum (IYF) Oyo State
• Arewa Youth Assembly
• Unified Nigerian Youth Forum
• Arewa Youth Peace Initiative (AYPI)
• Nigerian Women Peace Initiative Association
  (NWPIA)
• National Youth’s Awareness Group
• National Association of Business Administration and Management Students
• (Kogi State Polytechnic Chapter)
• Igala Youth Forum
• Intellectual Youth Alliance of Nigeria
• Northern Youth Council of Nigeria
• Kogi Youth Progressive Movement
• Coalition for Youth Engagement for Better Nigeria
• Ebira Peace Movement Initiative (EPMI)
• Young Farmers Cooperative
• Oyo Students’ Collective
• Nigeria Renaissance Group
• Young Futurists of Enugu
• New Wave Orientals
• Adamawa Young Pioneers
• Creek Champions’ Campaign for Development
• Omo’badan Progressive Youth Circle
• Youth for New Lagos