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President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ Bill into
law.
History was made on Thursday when President Buhari assented to the bill at
the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s
capital.
The Personal Assistant to the President on New Media, Bashir Ahmad, posted
two videos on Twitter which shows President Buhari signing the bill into
law.
Addressing a gathering of youths who witnessed the signing, the President
said, “Your focus and contributions have now successfully increased the
quality and maturity of Nigerian democracy and expanded the playing field
for youth participation in politics.
“You, the young people of Nigeria, are now set to leave your mark on the
political space, just as you have done over the decades in
entrepreneurship, sports, art, media entertainment, technology, and
several other fields.”
President Buhari had promised to assent to the bill while addressing the
nation on Tuesday in a live broadcast in Abuja.
“In (a) few days to come, I will be joined by many promising young
Nigerians to sign into law the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill,” he had said
in his Democracy Day’s speech.
Both Senate and the House of Representatives had passed the bill in 2017.
It later received the constitutionally required approval of two-thirds of
National Assembly, leaving the final step of presidential assent.
‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill seeks a reduction in the age limit for
presidential candidates from 40 to 35, as well as state governors and
senators from 35 to 30.
Following the President’s approval, the minimum age for national and state
assembly members will now be 25.
The primary aim of the bill is to increase the participation of young
people in politics, as more than half of the nation’s population is below
age 30.