National leader of the Northern Nigeria Youth Leaders Forum, Murtala Gamji has rejected the recent call for the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nnatawe Yilawatada, describing it as a baseless and sponsored attempt by “lazy politicians” to destabilize the ruling party.
Momoh Prince in a statement on Friday as a youth group under the auspices of the APC Youth Solidarity Network (APC-YSN) issued a two-week ultimatum to the national chairman to resign or face mass protests.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Saturday, Gamji said those behind the alleged protest against the APC chairman were not genuine members of the party, stressing that one of them, Prince Momoh, “is not even a member of the APC, but an acknowledged member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State.”
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“Any group or individual who is threatening to resign or protest against our National Chairman should first know that Prince Momoh is not a member of the APC,” Gamji declared.
“We schooled together at ABU Zaria; he is from Auchi, and she belongs to the PDP.
“They have also approved him in the PDP chapter of Auchi. Therefore, we are not aware of his connection or concern with our untouchable chairman.”
Gamji praised the APC National Chairman, whom he described as “a great leader and professional democrat”, for reviving the party and attracting mass defections from other political parties.
“This is a leader who has just come into the party and look at the kind of people who are joining it,” he said.
“As someone who is not a member of APC and has never been a member, we do not know his reason or his concern.
“But we know there are people behind him, people who are trying to jeopardize the success of this great party under the leadership of the new president.”
He cautioned those calling for desistance, saying any attempt to undermine the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the APC Chairman or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be resisted by the Northern youths.
“We are advising them not to play with fire,” Gamji warned.
“In this renewed hope agenda, we will not sit back and watch anyone threaten our existence.
“Any attempt to get angry with any leader who is good for the future of Nigerian youth is like making fun of our destiny.”
The youth leader also reacted to allegations that the APC National Chairman was blocking Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutafwang from joining the ruling party.
Gamji dismissed the claim as “ridiculous”, and stressed that the governor himself had publicly admitted that he was under pressure to join the APC.
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“This can never be possible,” he said firmly. “The national president is a gentleman, a democratic man who welcomes everyone.
“The governor has said there is pressure on him to join the APC, and now someone who is not even a member of the party is saying that our president is stopping him. No, that is a lie. Nobody is stopping the governor. The APC is open to all.”
Another member of the group who spoke at the briefing said, “There are proper procedures for joining a political party.
“If the governors of Plateau State are willing to join APC, they have to start from their wards. The national chairman will never stop him because one of his greatest achievements is to allow people to join the party.”
When asked why the Youth Forum, which is supposed to be a non-partisan umbrella body, appeared to be taking sides with the APC, Gamzee insisted that neutrality is no longer an option to protect good leadership.
He responded, “I don't know what people mean by being neutral.”
“If you remain indifferent when a good thing is destroyed, you are also an enemy.
“There is no such thing as neutrality anymore. The Renewed Hope agenda belongs to all Nigerians, whether you are in PDP, APC, APGA or any other party. We stand for what is right.”
He further said, “The national president is our president. We know him and his background since our university days.
“We can never remain neutral when lazy people are trying to tarnish the image of someone who has spent over 30 years building his career. We will not sit idly by.”
Responding to a question on whether his group would organize a counter-protest if the critics followed through on their threat, Gamji expressed confidence that no such protest would take place, claiming that most Nigerian youth were under the influence of his platform.
“They won't even try it,” he said.
“Ninety percent of Nigerian youths are under us and they listen to us. We have told our youths not to follow such elements.
“They have nothing to offer except destroying people's image. We say no to this and we will never stand by them.”
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Gamji also took a dig at another critic of Yobe State who was reportedly calling for an investigation of the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, describing such calls as “misguided”.
“These are great people who think what is best for Nigeria,” he said.
“We are staunch supporters of our national chairman and the renewed hope agenda of President Tinubu.
“Any attempt to discredit them will fail because we are ready to show these people that they are playing with fire.”
