By Chinedu Adonu

ENUGU – POLITICAL pressure group, #YouthDecide2019, on Monday applauded massive turnout of youths in the just-concluded Presidential and National Assembly Elections held nationwide on Feb. 23.

File photo: Election

The National Coordinator of the group, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, gave the commendation in Enugu on Monday during an interview with newsmen.

Okenwa, who was a domestic election observer during the election, said that the turnout of young people was “impressive and unprecedented’’ in the history of their participation in elections.

“I went around most polling units in Enugu metropolis, including the information we got from our men on the field, all indicated that young people come to the polling units as earlier as 7 a.m. Some of them stayed there to over 2 p.m. in places where voting started late due to late arrival of materials and INEC ad hoc staff to the polling units.

“I am quite impressed with the change of attitude and show of patriotism by young people and especially seeing them participate in the process even in places where voting started late,’’ he said.

On the clinching of the senatorial zone in Anambra South by Young Peoples Party (YPP), Okenwa lauded the zeal and encouraged young Nigerians in the party for making a statement particularly in the South-East.

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The coordinator said that the YPP, although a newly registered party, showed the strength in youths’ demography, since youths between 18 and 35 years constitutes over 51 per cent of the total registered voters as said by INEC.

“What happened in the senatorial seat of Anambra South; shows that demography power of the youths can be used to upturn a long existing status quo. It also shows that young persons have the electoral power to distort the age long convention.

“It also shows that political power do not belong to godfathers or party blocs but that power belong to the people, especially the youths, and they give it to whom they chose. They can also challenge a age-long status quo and disrupt it forever especially taking over positions, that should naturally belong to them anyway,’’ he said.

Okenwa, however, encourage more young people to get involved in party politics, by belonging to a party and make their voices heard; vie to be delegates and executives of such political parties to change things for the better.

He said: “They must get involved in the day-to-day running of the political party and seizing the party structure in order to influence the choice of candidates of the party for various political posts at the party’s primaries.

“If all party primaries can be influenced by youths to present credible and trusted candidates, who have a futuristic agenda for the betterment of the community, state or country; then, we are about bring lasting solution to bad governance’’.