The Pan African United Youths Development Network wants the Federal Government to put into place policies that will address unemployment and poverty in the country as a way of curbing electoral violence and vote buying in the forth coming election.
President of the organization, Habib Mohammed said at a news conference in Abuja that vote buying has become a major problem in the country and need to be addressed.
He said ‘The federal government should create policies and employment reform to ensure that young people are given more employment opportunities in such a way that they will not be compelled to collect money to vote for people who do not have their interests at heart.
“The major cause of our setbacks in this country is the focus on the differences in religion and ethnicity and our political leaders.
“The main purpose of this conference is to tell the younger generation that it is time for us to speak. If we don’t speak nobody will speak for us.
“If somebody doesn’t knock on your door for three years and suddenly comes knocking on it two weeks before election to tell you that he needs your vote, ordinarily we should know that that person doesn’t want our progress.
Read Also: Vote buying a threat to Nigeria’s democracy – Saraki, Dogara
“We are building a network of Nigerian youths in each local government. There are 80 million young people in the country. By the time we rally together and unite, with our large number, we can decide who goes into office and who does not.
“And if the people we place in office do not deliver their promises, we see to it that they are removed and replaced accordingly.”
Also speaking, Special Adviser to President in Amnesty
Special Assistant Political Matters, to the Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Program,
Lucky Ekamma said “Political violence and vote buying is condemnable and a sin on democracy. This Pan-African youth initiative is welcomed and encouraged by the amnesty program and we openly identify with them.”
Ekamma said the presidential amnesty program has been trying to do, campaigning in order to maintain peace and stability, to avoid violence and curb political thuggery in the Niger delta region.
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