10 years after youth council elects new leadership, expels former president (full list)

24.07.2018 20:09

- The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has elected a new executive members

- The election followed comes after 10 years of crisis within the council

- Bello Shagari from Sokoto state was election as the new national president of the NYCN on Tuesday, July 24

For almost ten years after its last convention in Abuja, the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), has successfully held a convention which produced a new leadership.

The unity convention which lasted for six days in Gombe state, ended on Tuesday, July 24, morning with the election of Bello Shagari from Sokoto state as the national president.

The congress had on Monday, July 23, passed a resolution for the expulsion of the immediate past president, Murtala Muhammad.

The council also barred him from being recognised as former president of the NYCN.

Muhammad, popularly known as 'Ganji', was alleged to have written to the ministry of sports and youths development, dubiously extending his tenure as caretaker committee chairman by four years - a position, the minister Solomon Dalung, the board of trustees and various organs of NYCN frowned at.

One of the affiliates of the Council, Centre for African Development and Advocacy (CADA) was also delisted from the Voluntary Youths Organisations (VYOs) by the resolution of the congress, for dragging the Council severally to different courts over "needless issues".

The congress also adopted the BoT of NYCN under the leadership of Dickson Akoh, the national commandant of Nigeria Peace Corps and its advisory council led by Ben Duntoye.

Out of 104 affiliate VYOs, only 99 participated with three representatives each, while 5 delegates were accredited from each of the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The 20-man national transition committee led by Mayor Enujeko also participated in the election, bringing it to a total of 500 delegates accredited for the congress.

A total of three aspirants were screened for the position of national president, but one Blessing Akinlosotu announced his withdrawal from the race during the election, allowing Bello Shagari to lead with a total of 249 votes and his opponent Almustapha Atuku (Kogi) with 234 votes, while 15 votes were cancelled.

The list of new officials are as follows.

1. National president - Bello Bala Shagari

2. Deputy national president - Innocent Uduanya Nwobodo

3. Vice president (north central) - Pwajok Sele Sesan

4. Vice president (northwest) - Lukman Majidadi Bisallah

5. Vice president (northeast) - Muhammad Suhailu Abubakar

6. Vice president (southeast) - Echem Ikeh Chibuike

7. Vice president (southwest) - Saliu Marufdeen Adekunke

8. Vice president (south south) - Kingsley Ibanichuka

9. National treasurer - Uko Michael Ukpong

10. National legal adviser - Ahmad Tahir Daramola

11. National organizing secretary - Jeba Muktar Sani

12. National PRO - Awujoola Kehinde Charity

13. National social secretary - Umoru Millicent Emike

14. National financial secretary - Eniola Temitope Adeyemi

15. Assistant secretary general - Odunze Caleb Eberechukwu

16. Organizing secretary (southeast) - Agwucha Izunna Koka Chidirue

17. Organizing secretary (northeast) - Adamu Hussein Yunusa

18. Organizing secretary (south south) - Avwoke Chriton

20. Organizing secretary (southwest) - Williams Oladipupo Oluwaseun

20. Organizing Secretary (southwest) - Williams Oladipupo Oluwaseun

21. Organizing secretary (northwest) - Aminu Ubale Funtua

However, the offices of national Secretary and national auditor were not occupied as no one contested for the positions.

Trouble also erupted when, one of the VYOs, Liberty Club International protested that its three delegates were not allowed to cast votes, despite been accredited.

It was gathered that, the reason for disenfranchising the youth body was not unconnected to the fact that, the total number of votes cast would have exceeded the number of accredited voters, with the three supposed votes from the organisation.

Despite the protest, the chairman of electoral committee, Lamir Aminu went ahead with the process and returned Shagari as elected.

The 21 officers who were returned at the congress have since been sworn-in by the Chief Registrar of Gombe state, Abdulsalam Jatau.

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Addressing journalists shortly after the swearing-in ceremony, Shagari thanked his colleagues for the matured way they conducted themselves during the congress, while pledging to do all within his powers to unite stakeholders and bringing end to factions in the council.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that there was some level of peace at the NYCN after the leadership crisis that rocked the group in the last four years ended.

The NYCN had been operating under parallel factions since the fallout of the Makurdi elective congress in 2013.

The crisis had also resulted to litany of litigation, despite series of interventions by prominent Nigerians and the Department of State Services (DSS).

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