#NotTooYoungToRun: Ondo Youths To Hold A ‘One Million Man’ March Tomorrow
Ondo State Youths will tomorrow (Tuesday July 4th) Converge at Cathedral Junction, in the Capital City (Akure) by 9a.m, and March to The Ondo State How of Assembly Complex. Under the Auspices of the #NotTooYoungToRun Campaign, to secure the commitment of Ondo state House of Assembly for the passage of the #NotTooYoungToRun bill.
The #NotTooYoungToRun bill seeks to reduce the constitutional age requirement for running for elective office in Nigeria.
The ultimate goal of the bill is to promote increased youth participation in the political process. The bill with gazette number HB. 544 seeks to alter the Section 65, 106, 131, 177 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) to reduce the age qualification for the Office of the President from 40 years to 30 years; Governor 35 to 30, Senate 35 to 30, House of Representatives 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly 30 to 25.
The bill also seeks to mainstream independent candidacy into Nigeria’s electoral laws in order to strengthen and increase the competitiveness of the political process. According to the youths, not only will independent candidacy check the practise of imposition and substitution of candidates by political parties, it will also promote issue-based politics.
According to the coordinator of #NotTooYoungToRun Campaign in Ondo State, Obatola Jonathan; “the Ondo State Rally is an activity to engage the Ondo State House of Assembly on the need to support the bill.”
He Posted further that: “the objective of the rally is to seek the attention of the public and that of Ondo lawmakers to support the bill. The activity is designed to demonstrate that the large youth population is in support of the bill being considered in the National Assembly.”
It is expected that Ondo Youths will present a position paper which clearly state the importance of the bill to the Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly at the rally.
