The appointment of Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State as the Director General, (DG) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Organisation, has continued to draw backlash as a group, the Nigerian Youth Coalition (NYC) described the move as one that does not mean well for the party in the forthcoming presidential election.
The group in a statement knocked the party as well as its presidential and vice presidential candidates: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Kashim Shettima for making such appointment, saying it is a ‘political miscalculation and drifting of the APC Political Ship into oblivion.’
According to the group, Lalong is known for his “chameleonic antecedence” and cannot convince even his own people in Plateau state to vote for APC.
The group, in a statement, dated 10th August, 2022, signed by the President, NYC, and Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide, Aare Barr Oladotun Hassan, and the National Publicity Secretary, NYC, Comrade Sabastine Danjiril, in Abuja, said Lalong was the “wrongest person” for the job to lead the Party to victory in the coming presidential election.
The statement reads: “The leadership of the Nigerian Youth Coalition; the apex coalition of the various socio-cultural and civil society youth groups in Nigeria is compelled to caution Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima APC Led Presidential Joint Ticket at the forthcoming 2023 general elections on the appointment of Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State as the Director General of All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential campaign council as Political miscalculation and drifting of the APC Political Ship into oblivion.
“We call on all well meaning lovers of democracy in the All Progressives Congress- APC to see the urgent need to read the minds and body language of Nigeirans, particularly of the Christian faith on appointment of the Director General without due and adequate all inclusive consultations with APC Christian members on an unanimous decision to nominate and choose their best to represent their interests, if the Presidential Election mandate so as to pacify the Christians across the country and if truly the 2023 Presidency is a must win and not a fluke.
“We are further aghast to view Governor Lalong’s lack of capacity to lead Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima ticket to victory in the forthcoming presidential election.
“Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State is the wrongest person to be appointed the DG for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, noting his chameleonic antecedence in the build up to the APC Presidential Primary.
“We frowned at whoever that recommended Lalong for the position do not mean well for both the party and Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket.
“Regrettably, it was common knowledge that Lalong worked against Tinubu’s presidential ambition during the APC Presidential primary election, as he worked for the former Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi who was alleged to have played vital role in the emergence of Lalong as the Governor.
“We are frontally aware of Lalong’s selfish modus operandi and deficiency, for it will be difficult for Lalong to convince any body even in Plateau State to vote for Tinubu/Shettima, painfully the Christian Northerners are aggrieved that Tinubu and APC picked a Muslim from the North on the grounds that no single Christian in the north is competent to be Tinubu’s running mate.
“We further alert the majority of the Christians in the North are not likely to vote for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We are aggrieved as concern stakeholders that passionately love the need to ensure continuous peace, unity and progress of Nigeria, while we see this last minute intervention to rescue APC Presidential Campaign ship from imminent wreck, while appealing to reverse the decision to appoint anyone without due and adequate consultations.
“APC should be aware of the brazen political wind from the Christian faith so as not to move against the tide of the storm.
“Recently Lalong’s utterances, actions and policies in the state would further worsen the hatred for the party in the state and in other Christian dominated states, particularly in the North.
“APC should be aware that religion is a serious factor which must be considered in balancing the political interest due to the sensitivity attached to religion in Nigeria, hence the necessity to reverse itself and put out the search engines of wisdom to choose the best from the APC Christian members.
“Ever since the return of democracy in 1999, the practice has always been either Christian-Muslim or Muslim-Christian presidential ticket and introducing Muslim-Muslim ticket is a strange development that Christians are mentally aggrieved and assaulted; are not happy about and they are ready to vent their anger at the polls.”
