The presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for 2023 received a major boost on Monday as the People Democratic Party (PDP) youths in Niger State staged a one million-man solidarity walk in Minna, the state capital to drum support for him and the party’s governorship candidate in the state Isah Kantigi.
No fewer than 52 youth groups from the 25 local government areas of the state under the auspices of “Isah Kantigi Youths movement for 2023”, converged at the popular City Gate in Minna as early as 7:00 am where they began the solidarity walk. They marched through the ever-busy Tunga-Bosso Road, terminating at the Ahmadu Bahago Roundabout.
Vehicular and human traffic was brought to a standstill for hours as the state PDP Chairman Barrister Tanko Beji; the party deputy governorship candidate Hon. Samuel Gomna and the party’s youth leader Mohammed Vatsa led the youths in a peaceful walk.
READ ALSO: PDP Officially Flags Off Presidential Campaign In Akwa Ibom
Others who participated in the “carnival-like rally” were the party’s National Assembly candidates from the state, the state House of Assembly candidates, local government, chairmen of the party, and local government chairmanship aspirants.
Earlier before the take-off of the peaceful rally, the party chairman Barrister Tanko Beji had enjoyed the youths to adhere strictly to the campaign principles of the party which is issue-based, and therefore appealed to them not to temper with either campaign poster or campaign billboards of other political parties.
Beji, while thanking the youths for the peaceful walk devoid of any violence, urged them to remain law-abiding.
While addressing the crowd, the deputy governorship candidate Samuel Gomna who spoke on behalf of the governorship candidate Mallam Isah Liman Kantigi told the youths that the PDP administration in the state come 2023 will continue the free education at both primary and secondary schools introduced before it was stopped by the present APC administration.
He also assured the youths that the payment of NECO and WAEC examination fees which the present administration could not sustain, leading to the withholding of results of both indigent and non-indigent candidates would be restored if voted into power.
