From Joe Effiong, Uyo
Youths in Akwa Ibom State have countered their elders and stakeholders who last Sunday endorsed Pastor Umo Eno by endorsing Mr. Onofiok Luke, chairman, House of Reps Committee on Judiciary as their governorship candidate.
The youths, who met yesterday on the platform of Akwa Ibom Youth Stakeholders Mandate, said much as they would not kick against the decision of their elders, they believed they should have a say in who becomes the next governor and who should lead the youths in the next cycle of election.
“So that being said, we are in consonance with what the stakeholders have done because we believe that fathers are for direction and sons are for speed.The stakeholders have given us a direction and told us it is possible to anoint and adopt a candidate. As young people, we feel it is also possible to anoint and adopt a candidate.”
The youths whose resolution was read by the speaker of the South South Youth Assembly, Mr Victor Thompson, said they decided to adopt Luke because of his proven track record of selfless services, dedication and commitment.
“We need someone who has grown through the ranks, someone who has shared our passion, someone who knows what it means and what it feels to be a young person in Nigeria to struggle and go through the ranks to become somebody.
We need someone who will give the young people of Akwa Ibom State a level playing field to become whoever they want to be because our goal is to have Akwa Ibom State where the sons of nobody become somebody without knowing anybody.
“We need a man we can relate with as young persons. We need someone who is young at heart, who is young in age, who is young in experiences, someone who is young and can relate with the young people of Akwa Abasi-Ibom State because we believe that young people in Akwa Ibom State makeup more than 60 per cent of population in the State.
“We need someone with experience, not just experience in governance but experience in public service. We need someone with experience that reaches out to the daily experience of the young people on the streets of Akwa Ibom State; experience that can resonate with what we are facing on a daily basis.
“We need someone we can call our own, we need someone we can identify with. We are tired of elitist forms of governance.”
The youth stakeholders said Luke meets their requirement of who should be the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2023 because he is the only one who has clearly demonstrated capacity, experience and ability to execute the demands of the office of the governor of Akwa Ibom State.
They urged every young person in Akwa Ibom State to look beyond immediate gain, saying whatever decision taken would stay with them in the face for the next eight years and affect generations yet unborn.