Pressure is piling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to practically delegate his authority to his son, Seyi, regarding the nomination of a Youth Minister for the county.
The position became vacant after the president redeployed the initial nominee, Abubakar Momoh following an outcry by Nigerians that he doesn’t qualify to be called a youth on account of his age.
Tinubu then redeployed Momoh from the Youth Ministry to the Ministry of Niger Delta Development.
Already, three names are being propped by members of the APC for consideration by the president in view of their contributions to the victory of the party in the 2023 presidential election.
While a section of the youth are calling on the president to consider Dayo Israel, the National Youth Leader of the APC for the vacant position, some others are also clamouring for the appointment of Omoba Tunde Ajibulu, a member of the 2023 APC Presidential Campaign Council (Campaign Planning) who hails from Kogi state for the position.
Others are also backing Aliyu Audu, a member of the Media Strategy Subcommittee of the party’s Presidential Transition Council for the job while the names of Ishmael Ahmed and the youngest APC Presidential aspirant Pastor Nicholas Felix have also been mentioned. Felix was the Presidential aspirant who stepped down for former VP, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
However, matters took a different turn when the Forum of APC State Youth Leaders wrote a letter to President Tinubu, asking him to allow his son, Seyi whom they described as a youth-friendly leader, “to midwife” the selection process for a Youth Minister nominee.
In a letter dated 21st August, titled, “Clarion Call For A Purposeful Minister Of Youth That Is Fit For The Job,” the youth leaders of the party, from over 30 states, said Seyi is worthy of the position for “painstakingly strengthening the youth wing of the party.”
The youth leaders said that Seyi, during the elections, “travelled at odd hours to numerous states across federation canvassing support for the success of the Tinubu-led administration.”
They also claimed Seyi understands the importance of a viable ministry of youths and his midwifery will ease the agitations of the youth across the states of the federation.
While there are rumours within the party that the youth leaders are sponsored, Seyi has not issued any statement on whether he is interested in taking charge of the process or not.
