2019: Buhari wants age limit for govs, senators reduced

President Muhammadu Buhari has advocated reduction in the age limit for candidates seeking to run for the Senate and as state governors.

The President said it was surprising that the age limits for senators and governors were not reduced as originally proposed by the sponsors of the ‘Not too young to run’ bill.

He said, “This is an issue that may need to be addressed going forward.”

President Buhari made the observation yesterday while assenting to the ‘Not too young to run’ bill.

He asked the youth to postpone their presidential ambitions till after the 2019 general elections.

Addressing the Not-Too-Young-To-Run movement after signing the bill at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Buhari said, “I am confident each one of you will transform Nigeria in your own way, whether through media, agricultural enterprise, economists, engineers, or as lawmakers in your states or at federal levels, or as state governors and even someday, as president. Why not?

“But please, can I ask you to postpone your campaigns till after the 2019 elections!”

Buhari had, in his Democracy Day broadcast on Tuesday, pledged to sign the bill.

He praised coordinators of the Not Too Young To Run movement, saying they had now established a formidable legacy “Which is that in our maturing democracy, if you really want to change something in Nigeria, and if you can organise yourselves and work hard towards it you can achieve it. The outcome of such efforts is this remarkable feat.”

He said these efforts had resulted in the heroic task of enshrining in law, a reduction of the minimum age for elective office in Nigeria: “a. Eligible age for aspirants for members of the State Houses of Assembly will be reduced from 30 to 25 years; b. Eligible age for aspirants for members of the Federal House of Representatives will be reduced from 30 to 25 years; and c. Eligible age for aspirants for Office of the President, will be lowered from 40 to 35 years.”

The Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill was passed by the National Assembly last year to alter Sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution.