Some members of the Electoral State Congress Planning Committee and the immediate-past chairman of Edo State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), on Monday, said those who were trying to foment crisis in the group are not members of the youth body and should be ignored.
Addressing journalists at the Council’s secretariat by the trio of the CPC’s Secretary, Cynthia Eguavoen; chairman of CPC, Aigbaingbe Emmanuel, and the immediate-past chairman of the NYCN, Osahon Obasuyi, they cleared the air over misrepresentation of the process that led to the emergence of the new chairman, Miss Serah Igunbor.
Obasuyi said due process guiding the election of executive members was strictly adhered to and monitored by the Board of Trustees chairman and former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Ativie, and other relevant stakeholders.
They accused one Dove Igeri, who was the chairman of the electoral committee of abandoning his responsibility to come and give account of monies realised from the sale of forms for the congress.
According to Obasuyi, “Few days ago, I handed over to the new executive headed by Miss Serah Igunbor. The National Youth Council of Nigeria is the umbrella body of youth organizations in the state. We have it at the national, state and local government levels. It doesn’t mean every youth organization in the street are members of the council.
“You have to go through the process of affiliation to be a member and as we speak today we have 23 affiliated youth organizations to the NYCN and we have 18 local government branches and there is a committee called the management committee. It is the second highest decision-making of the council, next to the congress.
“The management committee is saddled with the responsibility to appoint an electoral committee and congress planning committee. The management committee met in Government House on the 15th November 2022 and set up an electoral committee and appointed congress planning committee and took 29th and 30th for election. Aspirants bought forms and were screened.
“Along the line, we heard that the chairman of the electoral committee, Dove Igeri, absconded. For the fact that he absconded doesn’t mean the committee cannot function and the secretary assumed leadership and they conducted congress.
“These persons running round the streets creating nuisance are not even members of the council. You must be a member of an affiliated organization to be a member of the council. The election held was legal and successful and on the basis of that I handed over to the new chairman, Serah Igunbor.”
