Int’l youths’ day: NDI, others warn youths against electoral violence

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and a coalition of eight youth organisations have urged the nation’s youths to use the coming 2023 general elections to vote and not to fight.

This is contained in their joint statement, marking the 2022 International Youth Day (IYD), tagged, ‘We Choose Intergenerational Solidarity’.

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According to them, this year’s theme could not have come at a better time, especially that youth innovation and the experience of the older generation can give Nigeria the stability it needs.

The CSO coalition are Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI), South-East Vote Not Fight Campaign partner; Child Protection and Peer Learning Initiative (CPPLI), North-East Vote Not Fight Campaign partner; Fostering Achievement of Community Empowerment (FACE) and South-south Vote Not Fight campaign partner. 

Other are Jesz Development Foundation (J-Dev), North-west Vote Not Fight campaign partner; 2Baba Foundation, North-Central Vote Not Fight campaign partner; New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) and Youth Hub Africa.

They said that Nigeria needs to break the cycle of ‘ageism’ for the voices of the youth to be heard as the intergenerational solidarity means bringing youth to the table and also that it is also the surest path to Nigeria’s much desired development.  

They said, “The Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War and National Youth Agenda campaigns acknowledge the resilience of Nigeria’s youth. We commend young Nigerian men and women for the roles they continue to play in strengthening our democratic institutions and processes.

“As the 2023 general elections approach, let us reflect on our journey as a country and support young candidates. We call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free, fair and credible elections to give hard working young candidates a real chance. The judiciary must play their part to ensure that elections that are not credible are annulled.”