2019: 25 States approve new age limit for presidency

A coalition of 54 youth organisations across the country under
the auspices of the ‘Not Too Young to Run Movement’ Friday in Abuja
inducted the 25 state assemblies that have passed the Not Too Young
To Run bill into a hall of fame.

One of the conveners and the Executive Director of the Youth
Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) Samson Itodo
stated this while briefing newsmen on the state of the passage of
the bill at the State Houses of Assembly.

The eventual signing of the bill into law after the amendment
passed by the National Assembly and state assemblies reduces the
qualifying age of the President from 40 to 35, House of
Representatives from 30 to 25, state house of assembly from 30 to
25, while the age for the governor and senate was retained at
35.

“This is not totally in line with the demands of the movement.
However, we recognize this as a progressive step towards opening
the political space for young men and women to participate in
electoral politics. The movement will not renege on its demand for
the alignment of the voting age with the eligibility age for
running for office,” he said.

While saying the passage of the bill by the states is
unprecedented as it will enhance the quality of Nigeria’s
democracy, he said that Nigeria has shown the world that she is a
country believing in its youths and is taking concrete steps to
address political inequality and social exclusion.

“With this passage, the bill has met the constitutional
threshold prescribed by Section 9 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The Section
stipulates that any amendment to the constitution must be approval
by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly,” Itodo said.

The coalition which condemned the Taraba State House of Assembly
for voting against the bill also inducted the state into ‘The Not
Too Young To Run Hall of Shame’ and urge youths of Taraba to vote
out the 11 lawmakers who voted against the bill.

He listed the 25 state assemblies that were inducted into ‘The
Not Too Young To Run Hall of Fame’ and will henceforth be referred
to as ‘Youth Friendly State Assemblies’ as Abia, Adamawa, Akwa
Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta and Ebonyi.

Others are Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna and Katsina,
Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe
state assemblies.

While urging the state assemblies to immediately transmit the
amendments to the National Assembly, he urged Federal lawmakers to
transmit the constitutional amendments to President Muhammadu
Buhari for assent and urged the President to assent the
constitutional amendment bill especially the Age Reduction bill as
soon as the bills are transmitted to him for assent. “Should the
President delays or declines assent to the bill, we call on the
National Assembly to veto the President,” he said.

A coalition of 54 youth organisations across the country under
the auspices of the ‘Not Too Young to Run Movement’ Friday in Abuja
inducted the 25 state assemblies that have passed the Not Too Young
To Run bill into a hall of fame.

One of the conveners and the Executive Director of the Youth
Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) Samson Itodo
stated this while briefing newsmen on the state of the passage of
the bill at the State Houses of Assembly.

The eventual signing of the bill into law after the amendment
passed by the National Assembly and state assemblies reduces the
qualifying age of the President from 40 to 35, House of
Representatives from 30 to 25, state house of assembly from 30 to
25, while the age for the governor and senate was retained at
35.

“This is not totally in line with the demands of the movement.
However, we recognize this as a progressive step towards opening
the political space for young men and women to participate in
electoral politics. The movement will not renege on its demand for
the alignment of the voting age with the eligibility age for
running for office,” he said.

While saying the passage of the bill by the states is
unprecedented as it will enhance the quality of Nigeria’s
democracy, he said that Nigeria has shown the world that she is a
country believing in its youths and is taking concrete steps to
address political inequality and social exclusion.

“With this passage, the bill has met the constitutional
threshold prescribed by Section 9 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of
the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The Section
stipulates that any amendment to the constitution must be approval
by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly,” Itodo said.

The coalition which condemned the Taraba State House of Assembly
for voting against the bill also inducted the state into ‘The Not
Too Young To Run Hall of Shame’ and urge youths of Taraba to vote
out the 11 lawmakers who voted against the bill.

He listed the 25 state assemblies that were inducted into ‘The
Not Too Young To Run Hall of Fame’ and will henceforth be referred
to as ‘Youth Friendly State Assemblies’ as Abia, Adamawa, Akwa
Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta and Ebonyi.

Others are Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna and Katsina,
Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe
state assemblies.

While urging the state assemblies to immediately transmit the
amendments to the National Assembly, he urged Federal lawmakers to
transmit the constitutional amendments to President Muhammadu
Buhari for assent and urged the President to assent the
constitutional amendment bill especially the Age Reduction bill as
soon as the bills are transmitted to him for assent. “Should the
President delays or declines assent to the bill, we call on the
National Assembly to veto the President,” he said.