Speaking on Monday, the National Vice President of the Council, Comrade Kehinde Olorunjubelo, urged youth groups to stay out of internal party disputes that do not improve the lives of young Nigerians. He warned that involving young people in factional wrangling risks weakening youth advocacy at a time when pressing national problems demand attention.
Quick facts
- Comrade Kehinde Olorunjubelo urged youth groups not to be pulled into internal party matters.
- He cautioned youths against getting involved in Progressive Governors’ Forum politics.
- He said the PGF is an internal APC structure with its own dispute-resolution mechanisms.
- He called on young people to focus on issues directly affecting their future.
- He highlighted unemployment, insecurity, education, and economic hardship as priority youth concerns.
- He urged youth organizations to remain independent and hold leaders accountable on policies affecting young Nigerians.
Olorunjubelo said youths should not dabble in Progressive Governors’ Forum politics, adding that they must not “bastardize” youth representation by adopting partisan positions driven by disgruntled actors. In his view, using young people—particularly northern youth—to advance party interests erodes the credibility of youth advocacy across the country.
He argued that the Progressive Governors’ Forum operates as an internal structure within the APC, complete with its own processes for handling disagreements. As a result, he said, turning youth groups into instruments of intra-party competition undermines the purpose of youth engagement in public life.
The council leader urged young Nigerians to direct their efforts toward national concerns that shape their future. “Youth should be involved in serious national issues rather than criticizing something that is not worth it,” he said, framing the choice as one between constructive advocacy and distraction.
He outlined the issues he believes should remain at the center of youth organizing: unemployment, insecurity, education, and economic hardship. He said coordinated pressure on these areas is more likely to produce tangible outcomes than participation in internal disputes.
“Dragging youth groups into PGF disagreements distracts from these pressing challenges and reduces the youth constituency to a tool for political actors who lack the courage to fight their own battles,” he added. His message was that youth organisations should not become substitutes for unresolved leadership conflicts within party structures.
Olorunjubelo also called on youth organizations to keep their independence, maintain clear priorities, and commit to holding public officials accountable to policies affecting young Nigerians. He urged them to resist being used as proxies in intra-party battles, stressing that their role should be anchored in public-interest advocacy rather than factional politics.
