PDP National Youth Leader: Ekweremadu must reject impunity – Edede

Comrade Franklyn Edede, one of the aspirants for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Youth Leader, has said the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and other South-east leaders must shun impunity to allow a vibrant and competent youth leader emerge. In this interview with EMEKA NZE, he examines his chances of emerging National Youth Leader amidst an unfavourable micro-zoning formula. Excerpts:
What plans do you have for Nigerian youths if elected?
Good question. This question will be answered during the unveiling of my agenda for a resourceful PDP youths. My administration will turn things around for good. I have been there and I will use my experience to change things for good by the grace of God.
Edede has a courageous approach we need at this critical time. The youths of our great party have not really been fairly treated as far as party leadership is concern. Since inception, it has been one form of imposition or another of national youth leadership and I think time has come for us to choose our national youth leader by ourselves.
By the grace of God, the mantle has fallen on me. We shall resist any form of imposition or impunity for us to guarantee the future of our own generation and the ones coming after us. Never again will the saying “Monkey dey work, baboon the chop” hold sway. God forbid.

How has your struggle to lead the PDP youth been?
Well, it has been God all the way. I am this person that does not believe in starting anything without asking God to go before me. I can’t achieve or do anything without his approval and I glorify his name for giving me the hope for success in the end. God has been the architect of anything that I am or will be.

Are you aware of the speculation that Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu has endorsed a candidate for the position of NYL?
As far as l know, Distinguished Senator Ike Ekweremadu is not sponsoring anybody. If there is anything like endorsing someone, the IKEOHA, knows I am the right person for this critical job. The DSP is a wise, meticulous leader who knows the political implications of not dragging the youth leadership position with his two hands realising the obvious fact that spreading his tentacles will benefit him more come 2019.
I hear certain persons are dropping the DSP’s name here and there. His Excellency, the DSP Ekweremadu, knows that it will pay him more to have me there as the national youth leader of PDP from Imo state than to limit his support to Enugu alone. This issue of PDP national youth leadership position remains sensitive at this critical time in the life of our great party and that is why I am offering myself, the only courageous approach to confront and challenge the excesses of this anti-people APC government in 2019.
I am known as ‘Mr Capacity’, I have the capacity and capability to mobilize the Nigerian youth to defeat APC in 2019 and I want everybody to support me in the best interest of the PDP. Let me make this point clear. Don’t forget that the PDP is no longer in power at the centre and therefore must not sacrifice competence/merit for mediocrity out of sentiment and bias. What is supposed to be paramount and pertinent at this point should be going for capacity, competence, and vibrancy and so on, till we win the 2019 presidential polls. Perhaps, after that we can go back to the old fruitless days, if we must.
Remember, the APC has the army, the Police, SSS, the NSCDC and other paramilitary agencies on their side and this is the more reason why we should not play with competence and merit at this point.

Have you reached out to PDP leaders from other zones in respect of your interest and capacity?
As you must have heard, the Director General of my campaign is from Kano and he is the Coordinator, PDP National Youth Vanguard. Other directors in the campaign team are also heads of various youth friendly groups and NGOs. I am well grounded and known throughout the length and breadth of this country.

What is your position on the controversial issue of micro-zoning of offices and have you contacted PDP elders in the South east on this?
If you have been following the stand and position of our chairman, National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, you would have heard him say repeatedly that any bonafide party man or woman is at liberty to contest and aspire for any position zoned to his or her geographical zone and that it remains the prerogative of the delegates to vote or not to vote for the person.
On the elders and leaders of the South east you asked me about, I want you to know that I am not contesting this election by accident and it is not news that I am the most experienced, qualified, accessible, courageous, vocal, competent and reliable for the position of the national youth leader. Having said that, in the course of my consultations, I visited and consulted with all visible party leaders and stakeholders in my zone and beyond and they all promised to make sure I emerge going by my track records.

Before now, what have you been doing to equip yourself for the position you are aspiring?
During my days as a student in the university, I was Director of Sports, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), National Secretary of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN). I am the founder and President, Ethnic Youth Leaders for Peace in Nigeria (EYLPN) and CEO/Founder, Annual African Youth Economic Summit Group (AAYEBSG) that assembled over 32 African leaders in Nigeria in June this year. I am also the editor of Newsgrain magazine and a member of the Nigeria Union of Journalist.

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