President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the nation in his annual Democracy Day speech and in it he promised that he will sign the ‘Not too Young to Run Bill’ into law in a few days
The Bill which seeks to lower the age of eligibility for political office, was passed by the National Assembly last year.
In effect it would reduce the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.
Buhari said; “In few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young Nigerians to sign into law the “Not Too Young to Run” Bill,”
The idea of younger people running for office is one that has really captured the fascination of many who believe that this could be a game changer for Nigeria.
The example of Emmanuel Macron, the president of France who is 40 years of age and Justin Trudeau of Canada has gotten people hopeful for young leadership in Nigeria.
There was fear that Buhari would be averse to the bill and might not sign it due to political expediency, but he has now allayed those fears with his speech.
It remains to be seen if the law would really change anything, but we can only wait and see.