A bill aiming to bar individuals above 60 years from running for president and governor in Nigeria has sparked intense debate after passing its second reading in the House of Representatives.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Coalition of United Political Parties, and the Social Democratic Party have come out to condemn the bill being sponsored by Rep. Ugochinyere Ikeagwuonu from Imo State.
Persecondnews reports that if the bill passes legislative scrutiny and is signed into law, President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will be ineligible to contest in the 2027 presidential election.
This ineligibility stems from exceeding the proposed 60-year age limit.
The bill stated: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if he has been educated up to at least university level and has earned a Bachelors degree in his chosen field of study.
“Section 131 of the principal Act is amended by inserting a paragraph as follows: That he is not more than sixty years (60) at the time of vying for the office of President.
“Section 177(d) of the principal Act is amended by altering the educational requirement that qualifies persons to be elected as governor as follows:
“A person shall be qualified for election to the office of the President if he has been educated up to at least university level and has earned a Bachelor’s degree in his chosen field of study. That he is not more than sixty years (60) at the time of vying for the office of governor.’’
The main opposition party denounced the proposed age limit bill, labeling it a “misplaced priority” and accusing lawmakers of being obsessing with trivial matters without paying attention to more pressing concerns.
PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, labelled the lawmakers as not demonstrating responsibility.
Osadolor said Nigeria’s problems cannot be attributed to age, suggesting that the country’s challenges are more complex and multifaceted.
He said: “I believe and I am more convinced with this action of theirs, that this set of Senators and House of Representatives are the most unserious assembly we have ever had in the history of this country. The problem we have today is not of age or date of birth.
“The problem we have is that of incompetence and lack of capacity. The problem we have is that of corruption. So, instead of focusing on what the issues are, they are majoring on the minor and ‘minoring’ on the major things. It is a misnomer.
“We have seen in the likes of India, we have seen the guys running what we call Singapore currently. None of them is less than 60. And they’re making a fantastic effort to develop their countries. Age is not a factor. We saw it in America.
“The truth is this: Age, for me, is not a factor. It’s not the issue. For me, I believe that even age comes with wisdom. So, age should not limit anybody.
“The lawmakers should focus on the major things and leave things like this so that they don’t appear to be embarrassing themselves, but they are really embarrassing themselves before Nigerians.”
Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Mr. Mark Adebayo, strongly rejected the idea that leadership quality is linked to age.
He argued that corruption, incompetence, and a lack of patriotism are the primary issues plaguing Nigeria’s governance.
He said: “Even if these individuals were in their thirties, they would still behave the same way—or even worse. It’s not about age; it’s about who they are—evil, opportunistic, corrupt, and incompetent.”
He cited former US President Joe Biden and Singapore’s founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, as examples to support his argument that competence, not age, is the key to effective leadership.
He said: “Look at Joe Biden in the US—he’s in his late seventies. Even the current US President is 79, yet there’s no debate about age affecting leadership capacity.
“It is about personality, competence, education, exposure, and patriotism—qualities that these leaders lack. How old was Lee Kuan Yew when he transformed Singapore? Over 60?
“So, in essence, there’s no need for this constitutional amendment to set an age limit. We’ve had leaders under 50, even under 40.
“What did they do? The conversation about age limits is irrelevant. Nigeria’s problem is not age—it’s the incompetence, corruption, and lack of patriotism among its leaders.”
Rufus Aiyenigba, the National Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on his part,
acknowledged the value of youth participation in governance, but emphasized that effective leadership requires a combination of experience, values, and competence.
He said: “Governance is a function of age in some sense. We have had very young people in leadership positions, from the military era to today. Some performed well, others did not. Age alone does not determine leadership success.
“What is important is the quality a person is bringing. How do we assess capacity and competence? Why don’t we make live debates compulsory for presidential candidates? That way, the public can judge their intelligence, vision, and fitness for leadership.”
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