Panel wants nomination fees waived for PDP youths in 2023
• Youth leader to be between 18 and 35 years
NATIONAL Reconciliation and Strategy Committee ( NRSC) of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has recommended that aspirants below the age of 35 years seeking elective positions on the platform of the party be exempted from payment of nomination fees.
The recommendation was contained in a one- page letter dated March 25, 2021 and signed by its Chairman and former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and addressed to PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
The Saraki- led panel also advised the National Working Committee ( NWC) of the PDP to immediately recommend to the National Executive Committee ( NEC) that the party’s constitution be amended to the effect that “only persons not less than 18 years old and not more than 35 years can occupy the position of youth leader at all levels of the party structure, that is, at wards, local government, state and national levels”.
The NRSC explained that the recommendation was a result of a meeting it held with the party’s national youth leader and other youth leaders across the 36 states on March 9, 2021 “in furtherance of its mandate to resolve disputes, reconcile aggrieved members and foster cohesion and unity within the party”.
At the meeting, according to the committee, the youths presented some re - quests and their demands were deliberated upon by the committee on March 22, 2021 following which the two- point recommendations contained in the letter were agreed upon. The implication of the recommendation on waiver of the nomination fees for youths aspiring to various offices is that where the party’s guidelines, for instance, demand that a gubernatorial aspirant should pay N20 million for nomination form and N1million for expression of interest form, any aspirant below the age of 35 years will get the nomination form at no cost while they only pay the N1million expression of interest fee.
The measure is believed to be aimed at easing the burden of participation in the political process on the youths and encourage them to purposefully and posi - tively utilise the new constitutional provisions on the age requirements for political office holders, otherwise called Not- Too- Young- to- Run provision.