By Emmanuel Achigbe
Tuesday, 2nd July, 2024
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youth activist in Benue State, Francis Atondo Ibya aka Jahman, has picked Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to vie for the position of State Youth Leader of the party at the forthcoming State Congress.
Jahman was accompanied to the No. 1 Ochagwu Lawani Road State Secretariat of the party in Makurdi earlier today by a delegation of Central Youth stalwarts of the party where he picked the forms on fulfillment of the statutory requirements.
He is known to be running on the dual premise of Merit combined with Zoning and backed by the Central Youths of the party who have staked a claim to the position on the basis that they have undergone a 25 years apprenticeship in the party's Youth Wing since its foundation in 1998.
It is the contention of the youths that they are now ripe to man the office of the State Youth Leader, considering also that it has been zoned by the party to the Kwande Intermediate. Area of the state and specifically to Ushongo Local Government Area where Jahman hails from.
They further hold that it is time that their patience was rewarded by the party, as they have stood behind it in firm support as its foot soldiers in and out of power without ever decamping to any other platform, even at such periods of crisis as the Sheriff saga when they put their lives on the line to defend the soul of the party in the state.
Jahman in his remarks to the press said, "we entreat our leaders to give us the opportunity to handle our affairs as youths of the PDP in Benue State by giving us the office of the State Youth Leader to run.
"As youth activists in the party who have been here from when we were very young to this point that we have attained maturity, all we are asking is to be given the opportunity to exercise the experience we have gained during the period of our apprenticeship to add value to the party and to ourselves."
Jahman added that he will run a 2 Point Agenda if and when voted into office as State Youth Leader, which will broadly include Political Orientation and Human Resources Development which he believes will help reposition PDP as the party of choice for the people of Benue State ahead of the 2027 elections.
Francis Atondo Ibya is a youth activist who hails from Ushongo LGA of Benue State and is a business man who combines agricultural production with dealing in grains, with commercial reach in North Central Nigeria and beyond.
He is married to Lois Mnguashima Ibya together with whom they have two children.