Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Northeast on Monday called on Vice President Kashim Shettima and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to help secure the vacant seat of the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management for its region.
The position was previously occupied by the newly elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Nentawe Yilwatda.
The demand was made on Monday when a delegation of the APC Youth Stakeholders Forum, led by its Executive Secretary, Abdulkareem Jimeta, stormed the APC National Secretariat in Abuja to push for former coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Organisation, Haruna Sardauna, to replace Yilwatda as minister.
Speaking at a press briefing after the submission, Jimeta stressed the need for equitable representation of Northeast youths in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
‘This is a wake-up call to Vice President Kashim Shettima and NSA Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as our leaders from the Northeast, to intervene and facilitate the appointment of Haruna Sardauna and other Northeast youth to benefit from Tinubu’s presidential appointment’, Jimeta said.
He argued that while Kano State alone boasts 27 youth presidential appointees, the entire six states of the Northeast—Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, Taraba, and Gombe—have a combined figure of just eight.
The APC stakeholders argued that the imbalance was largely due to influential figures in other regions lobbying successfully for their states.
‘The Northwest region has benefited and is enjoying about 71% of presidential youth appointments in the North. The North-Central region has 21%. Sadly, the Northeast region benefits only 8%’, they lamented.
Jimeta further highlighted Haruna Sardauna’s loyalty to President Tinubu, recalling his role as Deputy National Chairman of the Tinubu Youth Ambassadors since 2016 and his current position as Director-General of the Renewed Hope Youth Ambassadors.
According to him, Sardauna is a ‘prominent youth figure in Northern Nigerian politics, known for his skills in grassroots political mobilisation and humanitarian nature’, stressing that his appointment would not only reward his loyalty but also boost APC’s chances ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The group also underscored the importance of appointing a candidate from the Northeast, which has suffered heavily from the Boko Haram insurgency.
They stressed that Sardauna, a native of the region, understands its peculiar humanitarian challenges, including the plight of IDPs, widows, orphans, and persons with disabilities.
‘His appointment would be a crucial step towards providing the necessary humanitarian support and resources to address these challenges’, the Forum said.
The campaign for Sardauna’s appointment has also received backing from other Arewa youth groups, who endorsed him alongside Hon. Nasir Ja’oji from the Northwest for better youth representation in Tinubu’s cabinet.
With his background in public administration and as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Administration and Governance, the group maintained that Sardauna is well-positioned to develop policies and programs tailored to the region’s recovery and development.
‘Ultimately, the appointment of Haruna Sardauna as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management would be a significant step towards addressing the humanitarian challenges in the Northeast region and promoting recovery and development’, Jimeta concluded.
