By Laja Thomas

United Middle Belt Youth Movement has endorsed the presidential aspiration of Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki in next year’s general elections after a meeting it held in Abuja, yesterday.

The movement decided to give its support to Dr. Saraki, whom it described as “representing that generational shift that our country desperately needs.”

In a communiqué  signed by the group’s Grand Patron, Larry Agboh and National President, Aaron Odey, it said: “The forum believes Dr. Saraki has crossover appeal either to the north or to the south. In as much as he is from the North Central geo-political zone, he is also from the minority area.”

The group said if given the opportunity, Saraki would replicate his successful commercial farming initiative with the Zimbabwe farmers on a larger scale in the country.

They also alluded to the Independent Power Project that the governor put in place which sees to the supply of 18 hours of electricity per day as another reason why they believe in the candidature of Dr. Saraki

Asking other zones in the country to back the Middle Belt for the top job, the group said supporting the zone would reciprocate the contributions of the zone to the commonwealth especially the provision of Shiroro and Kainji dams which are the source of supply of electricity to the country.

The United Middle Belt Youth Movement is a body made up of youths from Niger , Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Benue , Kogi and Kwara states.