The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) yesterday declared that no political party will hold a convention to select any presidential candidate in Abuja as long as the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) persists.
The students’ body urged the All-Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to forget any political gathering in Abuja except there is a solution to the lingering ASUU strike.
NANS President Sunday Asefon, in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the students’ body would frustrate activities leading to the selection of party candidates if the students continued to remain at home.
campaigning to be President to either resolve the ASUU crisis or give direct orders to the security operative to shoot us at the venue during party conventions to select a presidential candidate. If we remain at home because of the strike, they should just forget it,” the statement said.
The PDP has picked the Federal Capital Territory for its May Convention to select its presidential candidate, while the ruling APC is also reported to have considered Abuja for its presidential primary later this month.
NANS in its statement told the political parties to either end the strike embarked upon by ASUU since February 14, 2022, or forget about holding any presidential primary in the nation’s capital.
The apex students’ union body also expressed anger that those saddled with the responsibility to ensure the smooth running of the education sector, including the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba and Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, “have picked up the outrageous N100million presidential forms of the ruling APC.”