PRESS BRIEFING BY MEMBERS OF THE 2013
ELECTORAL COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL OF NIGERIA: MARKUDI 2013
YOUTH CONGRESS, ON THE 11TH OF JUNE, 2013 AT NUJ HALL, ABUJA.
RAPE OF JUSTICE, BREACH OF NYCN CONSTITUTION
AND NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT POLICY AND CALCULATED ATTEMPT TO FACTIONALISED
THE NYCN
We wish to bring to the attention of the
entire world as members of the electoral committee, the crisis that has
engulfed the National Youth Council of Nigeria bred by criminal declaration of
some group of youth claiming to be purportedly elected in an inconclusive
congress in Markurdi, Benue State, thereby breaking the law and stomping on the
face of the Constitution of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and the
Constitution of our dear Country.
In order to familiarise you with the
situation that is seriously polarising the Youths as a resultant effect of the
day light robbery, open rape of justice, flagrant disrespect for
constitutionality and abuse of office, we shall briefly acquaint you with a
short narration of the issues.
Background
The National Youth Council of Nigeria has
been in crisis since 2007 with no seeming end in sight, until the intervention
of some past leaders who mediated and encouraged the formation of the National
Transition Committee (NTC) in 2012 and the Congress Planning Committee to
midwife a much desired transition to a new government, for a period of six
months according to the consent judgment. In the course of the transition, the
Electoral Committee was established to perform the duties specified and
expected of it by the Constitution of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
The Congress
The Congress Planning Committee kick-started
the process, as it sold forms for Aspirants to contest the various Offices in
the National Executive Committee of the National Youth Council of Nigeria.
In line with the Congress Planning
Committee’s timeline, few delegates had arrived Akure, the Ondo State capital
for the Congress between 25 – 27th April, 2013 when the Congress was aborted by
the Federal Ministry of Youth Development. As a result of failure of Akure congress to
hold as scheduled due to what was described as ‘lack of security clearance by
the State Security Service’, one over ambitious Henry Nwabueze declared himself
the President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, when there was less
than a quarter of the membership of the Council and no formal or procedural
assemblage of youth in accordance with the norms and constitution of the
Council at Akure.
The National Youth Development Policy clearly
defined the roles of each partnering agencies, including the working
relationship of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development that is limited to
providing financial and logistics support with clarity that the operational
activities of the Council will be free of government direct control and
interference. Despite this, the Congress was however
unilaterally rescheduled for Markurdi, Benue State by the Federal Ministry of
Youth Development while 24th to 26th of May, 2013 for the congress was jointly
agreed by stakeholders.
The Electoral Committee having collected the
forms from the Congress Planning Committee screened the Aspirants who had
obtained forms to contest and scrutinized their documents for authenticity and
specifications in Abuja between the 20th and 24th of May and continued in
Markurdi on 25th May , 2013. In line with the convention of the Council,
delegates from across the States and Voluntary Youth Organisations from the Six
Geo-Political Zones of Nigeria converged at Makurdi, the Benue State capital to
exercise their civic rights and their statutory duties. The Congress was declared open on the 25th of
May, 2013 by the Honourable Minister for Youth Development at the Aminu Isah
Kotangora Hall. Sequel to the convergence and the opening
ceremony, the Congress proper slated for the 25th of May, 2013 at the Aminu
Isah Kotangora Art complex, in anticipation of the business session and
elections at the congress never took place and delegates retired to their
various Hotels till the next day.
On the 26th of May, 2013, Delegates for the
Congress were screened at the IBB Square Markudi before been conveyed in the
Council’s Bus to the Venue of the Congress proper.
The list of qualified candidates was pasted
by the Electoral committee at both the IBB Square where delegates were screened
and also at the venue of the Congress proper; while uncleared aspirants were
given an opportunity to appeal with documentary evidences.
After the window period for appeal, those
with genuine reasons were eventually cleared and the electoral committee
immediately went and re printed the ballot papers to accommodate the newly
cleared candidates. However, few hours after the convergence,
intelligence reports that got to the Committee signified an unfavorable
security situation.
We waited patiently for the NTC to
procedurally call the congress to order and thus commence the congress business
but alas that never happened.
It is important to mention that it is not the
constitutional responsibility of the Electoral committee to call the congress
to order but the responsibility of the National Executive Committee (NEC) but
in this case National Transition Committee (NTC). The Electoral committee’s job starts when the
job of NTC/NEC ends, that is, after the committee must have being dissolved. After several hours of waiting to ensure the
coast had cleared to enable the electoral committee to move into the hall, this
never happened and it became necessary to take a decision in this critical hour
and the decision that was bestowed by the situation on the Electoral Committee
in view of the tensed situation in the hall, coupled with the unfavorable
security report considering our critical assignment and sensitivity of the
electoral materials in our possession, we had to re strategized for safe
custody and maximum protection of the electoral materials which up till now is
intact and not a single one had been used. We give glory to God that this prevented any
unwholesome situation as no election took place at Matkurdi, Benue State. Surprisingly, a group of Youth led by one
Yakubu Shendam criminally declared themselves purportedly claiming to have been
elected in an inconclusive congress, when there was no election and we wondered
which electoral committee conducted the election and definitely not us.
Submission
As we await a new date for the Congress,
while some of us, as past leaders will be playing a crucial and strategic role
in a coordinated and syndicated manner towards the enthronement of genuine
democracy in NYCN, in accordance with the international standard, we solicit
for the understanding and cooperation of all as we remain committed to justice
and unity. We therefore appeal to all delegates, members
of the National Youth Council, other Stakeholders and indeed Nigerian Youth to
be calm while we salute you for resisting un-constitutionality.We strongly hope that within the next few
weeks by the special grace of God solution would be proffered to the lingering
crisis.
The prevailing circumstances presented an
opportunity to us all, to once and for all carry out a through sanitization
exercise and uncompromising compliance with the constitution of NYCN, for the
Council has lost her glory and had completely departed from the norms and
tenets laid by the founding fathers and past leaders. For avoidance of doubt and for the purpose of
clarity, we hereby once again state UNARGUABLY that no election took place in
Markurdi and all the electoral materials in possession of the electoral
committee remain intact, untouched and unused.We are unadulterated and uncompromisingly
committed to the truth and giving the required support and providing
coordinated and directional leadership to the committed youth towards ensuring
the enthronement of genuine democratization process in the National Youth
Council of Nigeria, by the special grace of God we will not fail nor falter.
Enough is enough; NYCN must regain her lost
glory.
Thank you and God Bless.
JERRY ONYEMACHI SANUSI MUSA GUSAU
South East Representative North West
Representative
08038005327 08065696301
DYNAMITE OLUSEGUN EWEDEMI
South West Representative
SECRETARY Electoral Committee
08081764418, 07033195757.
Ref: Electoral Committee (ELECO),
Makurdi 2013 Congress
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