*SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT ON THE APC PCC YOUTH DIRECTORATE* It has come to my attention that congratulatory messages following the announcement of my elevation as Director of the Youth Mobilisation Directorate of the Presidential Campaign Council have been labelled “fake news”, accompanied by insinuations that I invented or misrepresented my appointment. These claims touch directly on my integrity. I therefore owe the youths of our party, my colleagues and the public a clear account of what transpired. The list published on 13 October named Mr. Ayo Olawande as Director and me as Deputy Director. Subsequently, at the inaugural meeting of the Council yesterday 20th, my elevation to Director Youth Mobilisation was announced at the end of the meeting. Members of the National Working Committee acknowledged that announcement and congratulated me, with one expressly confirming that it had been formally announced at the meeting. The news was received with joy by youth leaders and supporters who shared congratulatory messages and produced goodwill materials. Across the messages I received, there was enthusiasm for the responsibility ahead and appreciation for years of service to our party. Their goodwill was sincere. It followed an announcement they understood to have been made by the campaign leadership. I did not manufacture an announcement. Those who congratulated me had a basis for doing so. Following that announcement, I moved promptly to work. Within the hour of the announcement and With a deadline for action plan submission approaching, I called for a collective review of zonal plans and proposals, asked zonal coordinators to involve their deputies and secretaries, and requested a virtual meeting for the today. My message was clear: everyone had a contribution to make, and our work required coordination, inclusion and urgency. In that brief interval, I brought structure and direction to the work before us. Leadership must be demonstrated through action, and I was ready to act. Later in the day, Madam Secretary, Mrs Rinsola Abiola, responded on the platform. The Secretary’s response to my message is particularly instructive. She expressly referred to “the announcement made earlier today at the PCC leadership meeting”, explaining that a subsequent statement “effectively nullifies” it and that the directorate had “reverted to status quo ante”. Her words acknowledge both the announcement and its subsequent reversal. The published notice announcing an adjustment to the directorate’s leadership then reproduced the original arrangement: Mr. Olawande as Director and myself as Deputy Director. This raises a straightforward question: what precisely was adjusted in the Youth Mobilisation Directorate, when both the Director and Deputy Director already held those same positions in the list published on 13 October? The intervening announcement is essential to an honest account of these events. A subsequent reversal cannot make an earlier announcement imaginary. Nor can it turn the goodwill of colleagues and supporters into an act of dishonesty. I respect our party’s leadership and the Council’s responsibility to determine its structure. That respect is entirely consistent with protecting my name and asking that the record be represented accurately. Institutional credibility is strengthened when decisions and subsequent changes are communicated with clarity. To everyone who expressed joy and extended congratulations, I remain sincerely grateful. Your goodwill deserves appreciation. I ask that our exchanges remain dignified and that we resist personal abuse. My commitment to service remains steadfast. I will continue to bring diligence, conviction and a spirit of cooperation to the responsibilities entrusted to me. My respect for our institutions is firm. So is my responsibility to the truth. Dr. Dayo Israel National Youth Leader, All Progressives Congress