NYC Criticise Lalong Appointment as APC Presidential Campaign DG

A group, Nigerian Youth Coalition, NYC, have berated the appointment of Plateau State governor Simon Lalong as Director General, DG, for Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Organisation, stating that the position is a ‘political miscalculation and drifting of the APC Political Ship into oblivion.’
The group stated this in a statement, dated 10th August 2022, signed by the President, NYC, Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide, Aare Barr Oladotun Hassan, and the National Publicity Secretary, NYC, Comrade Sabastine Danjiril, in Abuja.
The NYC noted that the nomination was disrespectful of the Christian faith and had been made without consulting APC members who identify as Christians.
The group asserted that Lalong was, among other things, the “wrongest person” to lead the Party to victory in the upcoming 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 Nigerians, particularly of the Christian faith, on the appointment of the Director General without due and adequate all-inclusive consultations with APC Christian members on unanimous decision to nominate and choose their best to represent their interests, if the Presidential Election mandate so notify 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’s 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 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 was alleged to have played a 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 anybody 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 because no single Christian in the north is competent to be Tinubu’s running mate.
“We further alert that most Christians in the North are not likely to vote for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We are aggrieved as concerned 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 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.”