By Sani Saleh Chinade, Damaturu
Youth groups in Yobe have endorsed Lawan Kolo Geidam to contest the 2027 governorship when the time comes, citing his experience in public service, grassroots leadership and youth mentorship respectively.
The endorsement was announced on Wednesday in Damaturu by the Democratic Enlightenment for Good Governance, a youth-based organisation operating across the state in general.
The Coordinator of the group, Adamu Hussaini Yunusa, said the decision followed wide consultations and deliberations involving 178 coordinators drawn from the state’s local government areas.
Yunusa said the youths agreed that Yobe required a leader with proven capacity in public administration, politics and grassroots mobilisation to sustain development.
He said Geidam had served at local government, state and national levels, including as a local government chairman and a civil servant.
According to him, Geidam currently serves as Permanent Secretary, Youth Development, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja.
Yunusa said Geidam consistently supported youth education, self-reliance and skills development, leading many young people into business, civil service and non-governmental organisations.
He described Geidam as accessible, saying he continued to mentor and guide youths, even after leaving the state, thereby earning their confidence and loyalty.
The coordinator said the endorsement was also driven by the desire to sustain gains in human capital development and inclusive governance recorded in the state.
He said the youths believed Geidam possessed the capacity to attract investments and partnerships required to consolidate infrastructure and economic growth.
Yunusa said the endorsement represented a collective call to service by youths across the state, who adopted Geidam as their preferred candidate for the 2027 election.
In his remarks, a close associate of the endorsed aspirant, Adamu Yahaya Alabura, a former local government chairman, assured the youths that their message would be conveyed to Geidam at the appropriate time.
