…there is resistance or contempt coming from some older people who make it look like allowing younger people the opportunity to run for public office necessarily translates to excluding or denying them of continued relevance. What has merely happened is the expansion of the field to allow many more potential candidates and elected public officials.
Two days ago, President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law, what is now referred to as the “Not-too-young-to-run Act”. The new law amends the Nigerian Constitution by reducing the age qualification for certain elective offices created by the Constitution.
Because when the discussions on the then proposed law were on-going, many people did not give it enough attention, a few commentaries after the signing into law yesterday, call for response. Some of those commentators have even dismissed the new law as unnecessary, useless, and deceitful and the victory associated with it as pyrrhic.
In fact, someone even dismissed it as “arrant nonsense” because the new law does not set an age ceiling to stop oldies from contesting. Seriously? So all our efforts in the last few years to reduce the age qualification and allow more young people to contest are being reduced to these? What is even more shocking is that some of these negative commentaries are coming from young people within the age bracket being favoured by the new law.
Of course, there is resistance or contempt coming from some older people who make it look like allowing younger people the opportunity to run for public office necessarily translates to excluding or denying them of continued relevance. What has merely happened is the expansion of the field to allow many more potential candidates and elected public officials.
What this new law has done is to widen the field and give the electorate more choices. Young people should be realistic though. Aspirants for elective positions should not expect to win simply because they are young (or old). The law, after all is called “Not-too-young-to-run”. It is not called “Not-too-young-to-win”.
I have been wondering if there is anywhere in the world where there is a age ceiling for contesting elections? If people think old age is a problem, they could make it a campaign issue, but without turning it into an issue of discrimination, segregation or even hatred. This is better than asking people to be disqualified on the basis of their age. The moment we start focusing so much on age or an age ceiling, we would soon open a new opportunity for dissipating energy on what that age should be. If we open the debate, many would be shocked at the variety of opinions coming forth and few would recognise individual peculiarities.
What this new law has done is to widen the field and give the electorate more choices. Young people should be realistic though. Aspirants for elective positions should not expect to win simply because they are young (or old). The law, after all is called “Not-too-young-to-run”. It is not called “Not-too-young-to-win”.
To be able to win elections, there are many other factors, besides age, that would come to play. In our society, these, unfortunately include some pedestrian and primitive factors such as the aspirant being able to appeal to the sentiments of the electorate. Some will vote for candidates because they are popular or share money, whether well-earned or stolen, or that the candidates relate with them, including identifying with their everyday issues. There are aspirants who gain a lot of electoral mileage from attending funerals and other social events at home or for always being on the radio or television speaking ‘big grammar’ or for attending the same school with those who support them or simply due to their faith, etc. At those times, age may not really matter.
What we need, in addition to the piecemeal offerings of progressive legislations like this, is the re-orientation of the mindset of citizens to bring in more value to the electoral process. Citizens need to regard their choices of who leads them as sacred, to be given to the best possible person wholesomely assessed, rather than decided whimsically on the basis of sentiments or provision of immediate and short term gratifications.
Obo Effanga, a lawyer and human rights advocate, can be reached on twitter @obobef or by email: obo.effanga@gmail.com
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