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Governor Fayose showers NASS with praises over passage of “Not Too Young To Run” bill
Governor Ayo Fayose has commended the National Assembly for its passage of the Not Too Young To Run bill
Governor Ayo Fayose has commended the National Assembly for its passage of the Not Too Young To Run bill
Posted by :Oluwatobi Bolashodun
- The Ekiti state governor however calls for the total removal of the age restriction for elective offices in the country
- The Nigerian Senate had on Wednesday, July 26, passed the bill which reduces age barrier for elective offices in Nigeria
Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose on Friday commended the National Assembly for its passage of the bill to reduce the age limits for elective positions in the country.
Fayose, in a statement by Lere Olayinka, his Special Assistant on New Media and Public Communication, however, called for total removal of any age barrier to electoral contests.
“If a Nigerian, who is 18 years can vote, such a person should also be qualified to be voted for. The electorate, not the law, should determine his fate.
“Age is not a barrier to intellectual capability. Many countries have been successfully led by young people. General Yakubu Gowon became Head of State at 32,” he said.
The governor, who assured Nigerians that the Ekiti State House of Assembly would endorse the bill when presented to it, called on other States Houses of Assembly to endorse it.
“There is no nation that can develop without giving its youths opportunity to serve. There is nothing wrong in a 30-year-old contesting for the Presidency. We must give the youths the opportunities early enough because the future belongs to them.”
He said that the Ekiti government was already putting the provisions of the bill into practise by insisting that candidates seeking to be local government councilors must be between the ages of 18 and 40.
Fayose reiterated his resolve to enforce the age limit for local government positions, saying that the National Assembly had reinforced his position on that.
“The future belongs to the youths; they should be given prominent roles in structuring that future,” he said.
Earlier, Philipconcept Blog's gathered from Naija news media reports that on Tuesday, July 25, the Senate on Wednesday, July 26, passed a bill which proposes 35-years as the minimum age for the office of the president.
After an electronic vote, 86 Senators showed their support, while 10 were against it. One lawmaker abstained.
Now Nigerian youths can contest for the post of governor or senators at the age of 30, away from the initial 40 and 35 years limit mandated by the 1999 constitution.
