Reps move to expand youth participation in politics, pass age reduction bill for second reading

At present, the 1999 Constitution stipulates that candidates for the Senate and governorship must be at least 35 years old, while those seeking seats in the House of Representatives may contest from age 25.

The House of Representatives has passed for second reading a constitutional amendment bill seeking to lower the minimum age for contesting governorship and Senate seats from 35 to 30 years.

The proposal, which received broad support during Tuesday’s plenary, marks a renewed push to expand political inclusion for younger Nigerians.

Titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Reduce the Age for Qualification for Membership of the Senate and Office of the Governor and for Related Matters,” the proposed legislation was sponsored by Esin Etim and 24 other lawmakers across party lines.

At present, the 1999 Constitution stipulates that candidates for the Senate and governorship must be at least 35 years old, while those seeking seats in the House of Representatives may contest from age 25.

Presenting the general principles of the bill, Mr Etim said the existing legal framework creates a bottleneck for young politicians who begin their legislative careers early but cannot transition smoothly to higher offices.

The current proposal builds on the earlier Not Too Young To Run constitutional amendment, which significantly lowered age requirements for elective offices.

That law, despite reducing the minimum age for the House of Representatives and state assemblies to 25 and lowering eligibility for the Presidency, Senate, and governorship to 35, young legislators who serve full terms in the House often still find themselves ineligible to contest the Senate or governorship elections at 33, a gap that the current bill seeks to close by maintaining a more logical five-year progression.

Mr Etim stressed that although Nigeria’s political landscape has witnessed growing youth participation since the passage of the Not Too Young To Run Act in 2018, the age gap between the House and the senior offices still leaves many qualified young lawmakers locked out.

He explained that a legislator elected into the House at 25 could serve two consecutive four-year terms and leave office at 33 but remain constitutionally barred from seeking election into the Senate or governorship.

“If a member of this House at 25 years spends two terms in the House of Representatives, he will be 33 years and he will still not be qualified to go to the Senate or to become a governor,” he said.

According to him, the situation discourages continuity in political grooming and limits the pipeline for young leaders who have gained legislative experience and can offer greater service at higher levels of government.

Mr Etim noted that the proposed age reduction would restore a five-year eligibility difference between the House and the senior offices instead of a 10-year gap, which he described as a more reasonable and balanced structure.

Without additional debate, the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, put the bill to a voice vote, and the majority of lawmakers voted in favour of its passage for second reading.

Mr Tajudeen subsequently referred the bill to the House Committee on Constitution Review, which will subject it to further scrutiny, public input, and wider consultation before it returns to the chamber for third reading.

If eventually approved by the National Assembly and ratified by the required number of state Houses of Assembly, the amendment could significantly reshape Nigeria’s political landscape by opening critical positions to a younger and potentially more dynamic pool of contenders.