Social activist, Aisha Yesufu, has advised youths to shun political apathy and elect competent leaders that will solve the country’s problems in the 2023 elections.
She gave this advice in a statement on Thursday, during a summit organised by The Future Project through its YMonitor Accountability Programme held at Onikan, Lagos.
Yesufu, at the event, which was organised to educate the electorate on the processes of governance and elections, also called on youths to dismiss the widely held belief that votes don’t count in Nigeria.
She said, “It is time Nigerians jettisoned such sentiments as party affiliation in electing leaders. This trend, which has been on for a long time, has to stop with the upcoming general elections.
“I encourage young people to avoid political apathy if they want competent leaders to emerge who will confront the country’s challenges decisively and purposefully. The active role youths have played on social media by dominating the platform with discussions centred on politics and agenda-setting for government representatives is noteworthy.
“I also advise the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission not to compromise the ethics of the electoral process by supporting a candidate against others or taking bribes to favour certain candidates. This will have an impact on everyone because poor governance is like stray bullets that can kill anyone.
The INEC Public Affairs Officer in Lagos State, Adenike Oriowo, commended youths for their active participation in the electoral process, saying 70 per cent of newly registered voters in the country were youths and reassured citizens that the general elections would be free and fair.
The Programme Officer for The Future Project, Olamilekan Omidiji, explained that the summit was a platform for knowledge exchange aimed at addressing citizens’ low participation in the process of governance.
