Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concern about the growing discontent among Nigerian youths regarding the country’s governance.
In a statement posted on his X handle on Sunday, Atiku revealed that he met with a group of young people from across the 19 northern states, who expressed frustrations over fraudulent elections and the resultant economic hardships.
He said, “Every time they come to have a conversation with me about bad governance, fraudulent elections, and resultant hardship being faced by citizens, I deeply feel sad about the situation.
“Yesterday evening, I received yet another group of youths from across the 19 Northern states, led by Alh. Adamu Bappa Gombe.
“They were worried about how their votes don’t count and how bad governance and policies negatively impacttheir standard of living and private businesses.”
In response, Atiku stated that he encouraged the youths not to give up hope and that change can only be achieved at the voting box.
He said, “I have continued to encourage them not to give up. I told them the change they desire can only come through the ballot. I reminded them that they have a responsibility to mobilize their fellow young people to keep participating in the process of leadership recruitment through elections.
“I reminded them that the change they desire cannot be attained by voter apathy and that 25% to 30% voter turnout in every election cycle is not encouraging.
“I challenged them to make a huge difference by influencing massive participation in 2027.”
He also emphasized his commitment to combating anti-democratic forces, stating, “On our part, we shall not relent until Nigeria is recovered from anti-democratic forces.
