By Stella Odueme
The APC National Young Stakeholders Forum has passed a vote of confidence on the party’s National Youth Leader, Hon. Dayo Israel, declaring its support for his leadership amid what it described as attempts to undermine his office.
The forum also cautioned party members and other stakeholders against creating parallel centres of influence outside the recognised structures of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The position was contained in a statement issued on Thursday during a press conference at the Progressive Institute, Garki, Abuja, and signed by Hon. Shehu Attah on behalf of the forum.
The group, comprising young stakeholders and founding members of the APC across the six geopolitical zones, expressed concern over what it described as persistent attempts by some interests to weaken the party’s national youth structure for personal and political reasons.
It maintained that the party’s strength depended not only on electoral victories but also on respect for established institutions, internal democracy, fairness, justice and the rule of law.
The forum said Israel had performed creditably since assuming office, citing several initiatives aimed at empowering young party members and strengthening youth participation in governance.
Among the initiatives highlighted were the establishment of the APC Youth House and Nest Resource Centre, which it said had promoted digital skills, capacity building and vocational training.
It also cited the Renewed Hope Conversations initiative, launched in tertiary institutions to bring students, policymakers and senior government officials together to discuss government policies and obtain feedback from young Nigerians.
According to the forum, more than 100 party youths and youth leaders across the country had benefited from overseas capacity-building and training programmes facilitated over the past two years.
It said the programmes were part of efforts to address longstanding concerns about the welfare and reward system within the party’s youth wing.
Despite what it described as sustained pressure on his office, the forum said Israel had continued to discharge his responsibilities with limited resources, relying partly on personal goodwill to deliver results.
It therefore urged party stakeholders to respect the authority of the National Youth Leader and refrain from actions capable of creating unnecessary divisions or undermining established party structures.
The group also commended Israel for facilitating the provision of campaign mobilisation vehicles to selected youth leaders, as well as the earlier distribution of buses to other beneficiaries.
It described the interventions as evidence of an improved reward system within the party’s youth wing, expressing optimism that they would boost the morale of young members and strengthen mobilisation efforts ahead of President Bola Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
The forum warned that any attempt to weaken the office through factional manoeuvres or personal power struggles would be resisted, arguing that such actions could discourage young Nigerians who look to the APC for political inclusion and advancement.
While acknowledging that disagreements and competing interests were inevitable in a large political organisation, the group insisted that such differences should be resolved through established party procedures rather than confrontations or attempts to undermine legitimate structures.
It called on APC youths nationwide to close ranks behind Israel, de-escalate tensions and prioritise the party’s electoral objectives ahead of the forthcoming campaign season.
The forum further urged stakeholders with grievances to refer them to the appropriate party authorities, describing due process as the most effective way to preserve institutional credibility, ensure fairness and prevent avoidable disputes.
It stressed that respect for party structures and the integrity of the national youth leadership remained essential to maintaining unity within the APC.