News Post

On Thursday, 31st of May, 2018, the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill was signed into Law by President, Muhammadu Buhari. The Bill which had been passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives in 2017 and later received the constitutionally required approval of two-thirds of National Assembly, achieved the ultimate feat with the assent of the Presidential. 

With the President’s assent, the age limit for presidential candidates has dropped to 35 from 40, while the minimum age for National and State Assembly Members will now be 25.

The primary aim of the law is to increase the participation of young people in politics, as more than half of the nation’s population is below age 30.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki who congratulated all the groups that championed the Bill commended the determination and dedication of the Legislators of both the Senate and House of Representatives for ensuring that the Bill passed its first milestone during the constitutional Review Process.

“Our nation needs the energy and innovation of our young people. Hence, the next phase of #NotTooYoungToRun must be young people registering to vote, collecting their #PVCs, running for office and/or working to get their peers elected into both legislative and executive offices”.

“As young people across the country bask in the moment and celebrate the signing of the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill, they must not see this as the final bus stop on this journey. It is one thing to be able to run, but, it is another thing entirely to be able to serve”, Senator Saraki said.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara on the other hand informed that over half of our 180 million population are young people under the age of 30. He said that the signing of the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill represents the beginning of the inclusion of this vital segment into our nation-building.

“Nigerian youths are versatile and intelligent, and they contribute in no small way to growth in different sectors of our economy. Now is the time for that energy and intelligence to also be channeled into politics and nation building”, 

“As the House of the Representatives, a large majority of whom are youths, we gave overwhelming support to the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill. Now that it has been signed into law, one major hurdle in the path towards equitable representation has been removed”, the Speaker said.

The Nigerian youths are now set to leave their mark on the political space as the #NotTooYoungToRun Law has now expanded the playing field for youth participation in politics.