THE YOUTHS AND INCLUSIVE POLITICAL SPACE IN NIGERIA

BEYOND THE “NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN” ACT

Abstract

This paper appraised the "Not Too Young to Run” Act recently passed by the National Assembly as a way of shoring up youth’s participation in the leadership of Nigeria by reducing the constitutional ages for vying for certain elective positions in the country. The study was descriptive in approach and secondary data contained in documents were analysed. Relying on the Relational Leadership Model as a framework of analysis, it argued that reducing the age limits for elective offices so as to allow younger persons to run for political offices in the major political parties is not a guarantee for youths’ ascendancy to leadership positions in the country in the midst of other virulent barriers such as high fees charged by the major parties for Expression of Interest (EoI) and Nomination Forms for elective offices in the 2019 general elections. It further submitted that the ruling class through elite conspiracy will continue to emasculate the youths insofar as they remain in control of the structures of the major political parties. The paper recommended reduction in the cost of Expression of Interest (EoI) and Nomination Forms by mainstream political parties, formation of youths political parties to enable them participate actively in the electoral process as well as aggressive youth’s mobilization leveraging on the demographic configurations of the country