2023: We won’t support any presidential candidate above 70 years — GNM

The Green Nigeria Movement (GNM) has said that it will not support any presidential candidate who is above 70 years old.

The group disclosed this at a Consultation Breakfast Meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) held in Abuja.

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Convener of the GNM and Chairman of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), Mr Moses Siloko Siasia, said the group is posed to mobilize up to 12 million votes for a credible Presidential Candidate at the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

He, however, said the movement has resolved to support a Presidential candidate who is not more than 70 years old.

He said GNM is also working to tackle voter apathy among eligible voters across the country as part of its plan to champion a new political narrative at all levels of government and to ensure support for people within its system.

Siasia said the GNM’s choice of candidate will be tied to capacity, ideas and professionalism, adding that a SWOT analysis will be conducted to come up with candidates that fit its objectives.

Mr Siasia said the consultation with CSOs will further help strategize on stretching influence and exposing young citizens to accessible and effective tools of political participation.

“At GNM we are not lost to the realities that there is no cause that can advance without partnership and collaboration. That is why we are gathered here as movers and shakers to harness our expertise towards promoting active participation of young people in politics, as well as to support a technocrat and seasoned professional in the forthcoming elections,” he said.

Country Director, Accountability Lab Nigeria, Mr Odeh Friday posited that the GNM must have a strategic plan to achieve its objectives, while he also called for the representation of Persons Living With Disability (PLWD) and more women in activities of the group.

The Consultation Breakfast Meeting held in Abuja, saw the gathering of luminaries comprising individuals, groups and professionals from all walks of life to expand conversations around the forthcoming general elections, as well as build political coalitions across the civil space for an efficient mobilization of young Nigerians for the forthcoming polls.