FCT council poll: Presidential aide rallies students for APC candidates

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, Sunday Asefon, has called on students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to support candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 21 Area Council election.

Asefon made the call in Abuja during the inauguration of a seven-member FCT Students Campaign Council set up to mobilise students across the six area councils of the territory ahead of the polls.

The council is headed by a former President of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Comrade Olugbenga Adeyeye.

Speaking at the event, Asefon said the initiative was born out of the recognition of the strategic role students play in shaping political outcomes and leadership decisions in the country.

He noted that the move became necessary given what he described as the “unprecedented readiness” of Nigerian students to participate in the elections, attributing the enthusiasm to the educational reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Asefon stated, “Ahead of the forthcoming elections, the progressive stakeholders in the FCT, in recognition of the significance of the student populace in decision-making and inputs to the elections of political leaders, my office has resolved to constitute a formidable platform for effective student mobilisation across the FCT, from the highest levels down to the wards.

He cited the establishment of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), efforts to ensure uninterrupted academic calendars, increased budgetary allocation to education, and expansion of vocational training opportunities as some of the policies that have resonated with students.

According to him, the lingering crises between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), particularly surrounding the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, are being addressed to guarantee stability in the nation’s tertiary institutions.

“We now have a president who believes that a four-year course should last four years and a five-year course should last five years. Since he assumed office, we have witnessed relative stability in our academic calendar,” he stated.

The presidential aide expressed confidence in the newly inaugurated council, saying its leadership was carefully selected based on capacity, integrity, mobilisation strength, and commitment to the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.

Asefon added, “We are confident that they will deliver on their assignments and ensure victory for APC candidates across the six area councils.

“We are gathering this body to move across the six area councils in Abuja to mobilise support for our party, the APC. We are urging all students—those schooling in Abuja and those who reside here but study outside the FCT—to come out on election day and vote APC.”

Asefon attributed the mobilisation drive to what he described as the president’s commitment to education, funding, and youth inclusion in governance.

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He also commended the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, for ongoing infrastructure projects across districts such as Apo, Jahi, Maitama and Kubwa, describing them as evidence of responsive leadership.

“The only way we can reward the good work of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the FCT Minister is by voting for the party that has delivered these developments,” he said.

In his remarks, Adeyeye said the council would embark on extensive mobilisation of students in tertiary institutions across the FCT, including colleges of education, schools of nursing and health technology, as well as students residing in Abuja but studying in neighbouring towns.

Adeyeye expressed optimism that with unity among students and stakeholders, the APC would secure victory in all six area councils.

The FCT Area Council elections are expected to be held in the coming weeks, with political parties intensifying grassroots mobilisation across the territory.