2027: Otuaro urges Ijaw youths to back Tinubu’s re-election

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dennis Brutu Otuaro, has urged the Ijaw Youth Council to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Otuaro made the call in Abuja when the newly inaugurated 10th leadership of the IYC, led by its President, Doubra Okotete, paid him a courtesy visit.

He described support for Tinubu’s second-term bid as being in the strategic interest of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people.

“2027 is already here. Let us back the President and mobilise for him to win a second term,” Otuaro said.

He also cautioned Ijaw leaders and youths against allowing political differences to divide the region, urging them to maintain unity ahead of the elections.

Otuaro commended the IYC and other Niger Delta stakeholders for supporting the peacebuilding efforts of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

He said the cooperation had contributed to the stability of the region and supported reforms within the programme, particularly in education and youth empowerment.

According to him, 8,700 beneficiaries are currently studying in institutions across Nigeria, while more than 270 have been deployed to universities outside the country.

He added that 93 beneficiaries were deployed in January and May, while another 150 were scheduled to be sent to overseas institutions in August and September.

Otuaro said the programme’s education interventions were part of efforts to prepare Niger Delta youths for greater opportunities and contribute to sustainable peace in the region.

He also said President Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had expressed satisfaction with the programme’s peacebuilding efforts and scholarship initiatives.

Earlier, Okotete said the IYC’s visit was to acknowledge what he described as the PAP’s achievements in education and empowerment under Otuaro’s leadership.

He commended Otuaro for what he described as the judicious use of programme funds to expand educational opportunities for Niger Delta youths.

Okotete expressed the council’s readiness to collaborate with the Presidential Amnesty Programme and explore areas of greater partnership.

Otuaro, in turn, stressed that maintaining peace and stability in the Niger Delta required collective commitment from stakeholders across the region.