Don’t Cloak Buhari in Partisan Toga, Youths Tell APC Leaders

An umbrella group of Nigerian youths, Youths for Change Nigeria, has said President Muhammadu Buhari is the leader of Nigeria, not just of the All Progressives Congress (APC), hence it will be wrong to cloak him in a partisan toga.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday, the organisation’s National Leader, Mr. Seun Bobade, said the moment Buhari was sworn in as resident on May 29, he became the leader of all Nigerians, irrespective of their party affiliations.

‘’We have been following the controversy over the comment purportedly made by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that President Buhari is not the leader of the APC. We watched the interview in which Mohammed made the comments, and we can say without equivocation that his comments have been taken out of context.

‘’What we believe Mohammed said in that interview is that while President Buhari is a loyal party man and the product of his party’s primaries, it will be wrong for anyone to pigeon hole him as just the leader of the APC, because as President, he is the leader of Nigeria.

‘’The president himself said that much in his inaugural speech of May 29. The president said inter alia: ‘I would like to thank the millions of our supporters who believed in us even when the cause seemed hopeless. I salute their resolve in waiting long hours in rain and hot sunshine to register and cast their votes and stay all night if necessary to protect and ensure their votes count and were counted.

‘’I thank those who tirelessly carried the campaign on the social media. At the same time, I thank our other countrymen and women who did not vote for us but contributed to make our democratic culture truly competitive, strong and definitive. I thank all of you. Having just a few minutes ago sworn on the Holy Book, I intend to keep my oath and serve as President of All Nigerians (emphasis ours)

‘’We are therefore constrained to warn those who have been seeking to make a mountain out of a molehill over the comment purportedly made by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC to desist from their distracting game, unless of course they have an ulterior motive for pushing their jaundiced views,’’ the Youths for Change Nigeria said.

It reminded Nigerians that in the United States, after which Nigeria has modelled its system of government, the president - at this time Mr. Barack Obama - is not seen and addressed as the leader of the Democratic Party but the leader of the United States of America.

‘’It may be a different ball game in a parliamentary system, but that is not what our country is practising at this moment,’’ the organisation said.
Youth for Change Nigeria called for an end to unnecessary bickering and controversies that do not contribute positively to ensuring the welfare and security of Nigerians - which is the reason for the existence of any government.

‘’We believe that Nigerians did not vote for change so that they can be inundated with issues that do not further the cause of change. Enough of the distractions. President Buhari is the President of all of Nigeria.”

He should be allowed to settle down and chart a new path for our dear nation,’’ the organization added.