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25-year-old emerges PDP national youth leader

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October 31, 2021

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Prince Mohammed Kadade Suleiman has emerged as the National Youth Leader of the PDP.

Suleiman, 25, comes from Kaduna State, and he emerged through consensus on Saturday during the just concluded National Convention of the party in Abuja on Sunday.

Suleiman is taking over from Sunday Kelly Enemchukwu Udeh-Okoy, 43, who comes from Enugu.

Former Senate President, Iyorchia Ayu was elected the national chairman of the party.

While Umar Damagum emerged Deputy National Chairman (North), Taofeek Arapaja was elected Deputy National Chairman (South).

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Vote-buying remains a major concern One of the strongest warnings from Osun was the continued presence of vote-buying and voter inducement. Yiaga Africa said the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were consistent with its independent statistical projections, but cautioned that this did not remove concerns about the integrity of voters' choices amid reports of vote-buying and inducement. The concern is particularly significant ahead of 2027, when political competition will take place nationwide and involve presidential, National Assembly and state-level contests. The International Republican Institute (IRI), following a pre-election assessment mission conducted in August, identified monetised political competition, election-related violence, insecurity and declining public confidence in INEC among the structural challenges facing the 2027 elections. 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For security agencies, it means preventing electoral violence and ensuring that investigations and prosecutions are not selective. Political parties also face pressure to take greater responsibility for the conduct of their candidates, agents and supporters, particularly over voter inducement and intimidation. A bigger test awaits in 2027 The central lesson from Osun may be that a technically transparent election is not automatically the same as a completely free election. Electronic transmission can make results easier to monitor, but technology cannot by itself prevent voters from being offered money, threatened or pressured before they cast their ballots. IRI's latest assessment similarly stressed that the credibility of the 2027 elections will depend not only on technical administration but also on security, consistent application of electoral rules, timely communication and public confidence in INEC. 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