By Jude Opara, Abuja
Barely 24 hours after a group of stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) gave the National Chairman , Prof. Nantawe Yilwatda a two-weeks ultimatum to resign or face a mass action, a group under the aegis of the Northern Nigeria Youth Leaders Forum (NNYLF) has countered the ultimatum, insisting that the party boss is not going to resign.
National Leader of the group, Murtala Muhammed Gamji at a press conference on Saturday said that the National Chairman is not resigning because those calling for his exit were not even members of the ruling party and therefore cannot dictate to the leadership of the party in any form.
Gamji further noted that since his emergence, Yilwatda has displayed his leadership skills to the extent that most politicians even from the opposition parties have been longing the join the party.
“This is a leader that has just come into this party, look at the kind of carnival of people that are trooping into this party. So somebody that is not a member of APC has never been a member of APC. We don’t know his reason or his concern about our noble chairman. But we know that there are people behind him. There are people that are trying to temper or jeopardize the success of this great party under the leadership of Professor Yilwatda.
“We are saying as members of APC and as leaders of all leaders in Nigeria and also leaders of all leaders of any youth organisation in Northern Nigeria, we’re asking him and advising him, please you should not play with fire. Because in this Renew Hope agenda, we’re not going to sit at home and look at anybody or group of people to come and joke with our survival. Because any attempt to temper with any leader that means well to the survival of Nigerian youths, you are joking with our future, which we are saying no”.
He equally talked about developments in Yobe state, where some people were reported to have called on President Bola Tinubu to probe the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, describing such demands as part of the efforts of enemies of the country to cause confusion.
“So that is the reason we called you people to come and listen to what we are saying as a youth group in Northern Nigeria, as a youth group in Nigeria at large, also as good followers and die-hard supporters of the National Chairman and also well-wishers of this Renew Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are saying no to them and if they say they are coming out to counter or to cause a protest against our leaders, we’ll show them that they have nothing and they can never succeed.
“By the way, they are faceless people. If not because we have made our background research and know the source of their agitation. It is sponsored by some lazy politicians and we know where something is coming out. So we are calling on them, they should withdraw back or also we’ll show them that they are playing with fire”.
Gamji while fielding questions from newsmen rubbished to argument that Yilwatda is blocking Governor Caleb Muftwang of Plateau state from joining the APC.
“No, Chairman cannot do that and the governor himself has not said that. He has not said that somebody is stopping him. So you can see how Taraba, Enugu, Bayelsa, other states and individuals are coming. A lot of senators, House of Representatives members and other ordinary people are trooping into the APC because of the kind of humble leadership of Prof. Nobody is stopping the governor. The governor is welcome. We are in democracy and the National Chairman is a democrat”.
He called on all well meaning Nigerians to support the administration of President Tinubu, insisting that the government is gradually pulling the country out of the economic woods with its people oriented policies.
