A group of young professionals and business people on Monday paid the required N40 million to purchase expression of interest and nomination forms for former Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki to vie for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in next year’s election.
They came to the national secretariat of the party in Abuja to purchase the forms, saying that they arrived at the decision in their search for a capable Nigerian that can address the interest of Nigerian youths and unify the country.
In his remark at the occasion, the leader of the group, Abubakar Danmusa, expressed sadness at the current state of things in the country, which he said motivated them to resolve to be part of the process leading to the emergence of a new president.
He said: “Thus, after extensive deliberations, we have concluded that the situation of our country is so far from what it should be if we have the right leadership. The country is not running as a functional entity that can bring the best out of her citizens and provide the best for the generality of the people.
“We are particularly unhappy that the country is not providing the right atmosphere for the millions of its youths to serve as agents of development. Instead, many of our compatriots are being forced to go into negative activities because the system is not encouraging them to utilise their positive potential.
“It is for these reasons that we concluded that we should not leave the process leading to the emergence of the next President of our country to only politicians. We have decided to get involved right from the pre-primary election period. We are determined to ensure that only good, solid, forward-looking, and visionary candidates emerge to vie for the February 2023 presidential elections.
“We want candidates who understand the needs of the business group and can initiate policies, programmes, and projects that will encourage the growth of businesses, particularly, small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs).
“We want a candidate that will create a synergy between the private and business sectors. We want a man who will naturally earn the respect of the international community and the confidence of foreign and local investors and get them to establish factories and businesses.
Speaking after receiving the forms from the group, Saraki praised their efforts in mobilising money to buy the forms, saying that the gesture was a call on him to go ahead and win the election.
He promised that if elected, he would ensure that all his cabinet posts are occupied by youths.
Saraki said: “What you have done is a symbolic message that you are mandating me to go out to the field and work hard among all our leaders, delegates, and other stakeholders to win the PDP presidential ticket come May as well as subsequently follow up with decisive victory in the general elections in February 2023.
“Looking at the diversity that all of you gathered here represent, another symbolic message I will take away is that as far as the youths are concerned, what we need to develop in Nigeria is not where people come from or what religion they subscribe to. It is about having the competence, determination, and patriotism to initiate good measures and have the courage of conviction to follow through with the plans.
“Your charge to me is to go there and make all Nigerians-young and old, northerners and southerners, Muslims, Christians, and people of other religions, operators in the private and public sectors, and members of different political parties – to join hands and fix Nigeria.
“With your action today, I do not have an option but to listen to the voice of the youths who represent 62 percent of the over 200 million Nigerians. That is why I want to promise that If I become the President of Nigeria, all positions of Ministers of State in the cabinet will be occupied by youths. This is a promise that I will not fail because I believe the ideas of the youths are needed to drive modern development efforts. And you know from my record that I have the boldness to implement this promise.”
