I NEVER LIED ABOUT MY AGE, SAYS APC YOUTH LEADER

The National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ibrahim Dasuki Jalo Waziri, has denied ever faking his age in order to occupy the party’s youth leadership position.
Jalo, who has received several bashing from rival aspirants and other critics including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for alleged age-cheating, said he was born in Maiduguri, on April 13, 1971. Speaking to journalists in Abuja at the weekend, said APC intends to borrow from the South African example where their youth wing is well-structured.
The embattled Jalo blamed agents of the PDP for his travail, saying that he was being used as a escape goat to discredit the APC convention.
“I want to state categorically here that I have never lied about my age. I was born in Maiduguri, on April 13, 1971. They said I contested for House of Representatives, yes it is true, but let anybody who has evidence that I lied about my age come out and tender the evidence, it is just mischief,” he said.
Jalo said his political adversaries might have been intimidated because of his credentials, adding that at 32 years he was already chairman of a local government and also became national President of ALGON at 37.
“PDP is responsible for my travail. It is a calculated attempt to discredit the APC convention that is why they are picking on irrelevant issues. I have never lied about my age,” he said.
On his plans to transform the youth wing, Jalo explained that there was a plan to have a directorate whereby the youth wing of the APC would be structured in such a way that all the programmes; whether mobilisation, sensitisation, would start to take effect so as to facilitate take over of government in 2015.
“May be they felt APC has done the right thing to pick somebody that can engineer the youth wing of APC, somebody who had experience because that is what we need at this time because APC is barely one year old and is looking for people that can fit in into some positions, who are very experienced, so that a formidable structure can be put in place that will stand the test of time.
“In the past, youths wing don’t seem to organise themselves, they don’t have a common goal. That must be a thing of the past in our own party. Let take ANC of South Africa for example, everybody will agree with me that they have a well structured youths wing for the party, this is my ambition, this is what intend to do in APC, already the party have plans and programmes for the youths because it is party of APC agenda to have a kind of youths wing that can bring all the youths together and channel all their programmes through them, “ he added.
Source: Thisday