THE House of Representatives has passed for the second reading a bill seeking to bar individuals above 60 years from contesting for the offices of President and Governor in Nigeria.
The Green Chamber passed the bill, sponsored by one of its members, Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, on Thursday, March 27.
The bill proposes amendments to the 1999 Constitution to revise eligibility requirements for key political positions.
It spells out that presidential and gubernatorial candidates must not be older than 60 years at the time of contesting for the office.
It also requires that candidates must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in their chosen field of study.
Specifically, it proposes an amendment to Section 131 of the 1999 Constitution to introduce an age limit for a presidential and Section 177 for governorship candidates.
If allowed to see the light of the day and passed into law, it will stop President Bola Tinubu from seeking re-election in 2027.
It will also kill the ambition of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, among others, from seeking the highest political office in the country.
The ICIR reports that there have been calls for lawmakers to legislate on limiting the age of candidates aspiring to contest for political offices in the country.
In November 2024, two Labour Party (LP) chieftains, national youth leader Kennedy Ahanotu and the party’s lawmaker representing Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency, Benedict Etanabene, made a similar call.
Their call was that any politician who is 70 years and above should be stopped from contesting elections just as the Federal Government placed an age restriction on civil servants, who are the most productive arm of the nation.
According to them, this is to free a lot of positions for the younger generations to take up important national responsibilities.
The ICIR had reported that the former governor of Ebonyi State and currently the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, had suggested an age limit for the lawmakers.
He made the call while refuting an allegation that former governors had turned the Senate into a retirement home since the return of Nigeria to civil rule in 1999.