By Sewe Ishola,

The duo of Nation builder Fela Durotoye and  media guru, Biola Alabi whose pictures were seen on an online election campaign poster have declared having anything to do with the production and circulation of the said poster.

The poster, which circulating online recently showed a photo of the two of them with the tagline “A Young President for 2019.”

Both Durotoye and Alabi have said they are not running for office in 2019, and do not know from where the poster originated. They however made it known that the poster was a pointer to the clamour for more representation of the younger folks in governance and urged those in power to heed it.

Durotoye on his Instagran wrote:

Hello Everyone.

I note with great humility the excitement that a fictitious poster circulating on social media has generated over the past 24 hours.

For the avoidance of doubt, the poster was NOT conceived, designed or created by my organization. Neither was it circulated with my endorsement.

To the best of my knowledge, there is no such party as The Liberation Party.

That said, I have been overwhelmed by the love and goodwill generated by this (im)poster and the outpouring of best wishes and prayers have simply been incredible.

It is truly amazing to see people’s reaction to the probability of an intention to run for the highest office and I note, with thanks, the advise & counsel of many strategists who voluntarily stepped forward to freely share their great ideas on how to carry out a successful campaign. The unsolicited pledges to fund a campaign is literally unbelievable.

I was also not lost to the concerns of some and even the apathetic disposition of a few people.

But, one thing I realized and learned from this unscripted & unprompted situation is that Nigerians at home and abroad (especially young people) want a next generation representation at the ballot box at the 2019 Elections.

I believe this yearning should not go unnoticed by all young and vibrant, credible and capable leaders who love Nigeria and carry in their hearts a vision for a New Nigeria.

Nigerians are literally crying out for young leaders to emerge from the shadows of possibilities and step forward unto the leadership stage to sign up for the responsibility of service to nation, state or community through executive or legislative office.

It is obvious that time has come for the young and strong to arise and build a coalition of ideas around a strong ideology of a New Nigeria where things work.

A nation committed to Good Governance that creates the enabling environment for all of us to dream, try, succeed and thrive all across the land.

A nation where every citizen of Nigeria dwells in peace and safety as we together passionately and creatively engage in fulfilling jobs that help us to enjoy an improved standard of living and achieve economic growth and social development for everyone.

The future of Nigeria is what it can and must become … a most desirable nation to live, work and do business in and with. .

Clearly, it is time to Deliver The Future of our great nation but in the words of John Legend, “The Future started yesterday. We are already late.”

Arise O Compatriots,
Nigeria’s Call Obey To Serve Our Fatherland With Love and Strength and Faith.

God bless you and God bless Nigeria.
FelaDUROTOYE .

Alabi, on her Instagram, shared a press release saying she is grateful for everyone who has reached out to her. She wrote as its caption:

,

Dear Family and Friends, thanks for all your calls and support over the last 24 hours, it’s truly been overwhelming and humbling. Unfortunately the poster is not real and I will not be running for office. Thank you and let’s all focus on building a better future for Nigeria by being actively engaged in the democratic process.