The Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) an umbrella body of over 42 youth groups in the north with over 4m membership in the country have set the 5th June, 2021 to endorse either Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state or Chief Raymond Dokpesi as its presidential candidate in 2023 election.
This was disclosed by the national chairman of the forum comrade Elliot Afiyo at a press conference held at the end of its annual delegate conference in Yola yesterday.
He explained that the forum’s presidential candidate will be announced at the delegate conference but had to be shifted to 5th June, 2021 due to the death of the Chief of Army staff and others who died in the air crash last Friday.
“This delegate conference is supposed to be one of the special delegates conferences as it was designed to endorse and announce our own choice candidate for 2023 election but the death of the Chief of Army Staff LT.Gen.Ibrahim Attahiru who happened to be a brother to our first National chairman, which also claimed the lives of two of our members made us to shift the endorsement to 5th June,2021 in Abuja”
“Not withstanding our decision to endorse either Gov.Bala Mohammed or High Chief Raymond Dokpesi still stands in spite of the intimidations and threats, we have convincing reasons to back up our decision and it is our standpoint,” he said.
According to him, what Nigeria needs at this critical moment is not party or regional consideration but a strong leadership which has the capacity, vision and foresight to address the country’s security challenges to rescue the country out of it’s socio-economic and political woes in the overall interest of all Nigerians.
Afiyo further threw the forum’s weight behind the decision of southern governors to ban open grazing, noting that open grazing has been the greatest threat to the environment of the northern region and also to security of lives and property in the country and call for National dialogue to chart a way forward for the country.
He further called on the federal government to as a matter of urgency and national interest consider the calls for total ban on open grazing and also advocated for the establishment of Herders Commission or Agency to cater for the needs of herders through selective programmes so as to effectively kick-start the ranching system.
The forum also condemned the statement credited to the Attorney General of the federation Abubakar Malami on the ban on open grazing and appealed to President Buhari to caution his ministers and aides who despite being in government for either four to six years, they still have the opposition mentality.
