60-year age limit: PDP,others criticise Reps, claim bill against President, governors incorrect
The Peoples Democratic Party, the Coalition of United Political Parties, and the Social Democratic Party have opposed the House of Representatives’ decision to put age limits on the positions of President and Governor of the country.
The House intended to bar those over the age of 60 from standing for president or governor of Nigeria by passing a bill in second reading on Thursday.
If the measure passes legislative examination and is signed into law, President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, will be ineligible for the 2027 presidential election because they are all over the age of 60.
The PDP slammed the move as a misguided priority, accusing lawmakers of focussing on minor matters while ignoring more pressing ones.
It contended that corruption, ineptitude, and a lack of patriotism, not age, are Nigeria’s key governance difficulties.
The SDP, on the other hand, acknowledged that age has some influence on governance.
Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing Imo State’s Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency, sponsored a bill titled “A Bill for an Act to amend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to review the requirements that qualify a person to be elected as President and Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Governors and Deputy Governor of a State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and for Related Matters.”
The legislation stipulates: “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.
“The Principal Act’s Section 131 has been revised to include a clause stating that candidates for President must be under the age of 60.Section 177(d) of the Act changes the educational requirement for governors to include a Bachelor’s degree in their field of study and a minimum of a university education.
That he is under the age of 60 when running for governor.
In reaction, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader Timothy Osadolor described the lawmakers as ”the most irresponsible in Nigeria’s history.
In an interview, Osadolor remarked that Nigeria’s difficulties are not age-related.
He remarked, “I believe, and I am even more convinced by their actions, that this set of Senators and House of Representatives is the most unserious assembly we have ever had in the history of this country.”
The current issue is not related to age or date of birth.The problem is one of incompetence and a lack of capacity. The issue we face is one of corruption. So, instead of focussing on the issues, they’re majoring on the minors and’minoring’ on the majors. It’s a misnomer.
“We’ve seen folks running what we call Singapore right now in places like India. None of them is younger than 60. And they are making tremendous efforts to build their countries. Age is not a factor. “We saw it in America.”
He went on to say, “The truth is that age does not matter to me. It is not the issue. For me, I feel that age brings wisdom. As a result, no one should be limited by their age.
The politicians should focus on the important issues and leave matters like this alone so that they do not appear to be embarrassing themselves, but they are truly embarrassing themselves before Nigerians.”
Mark Adebayo, CUPP’s National Publicity Secretary, strongly disagreed with the assumption that leadership quality is linked to age, claiming that Nigeria’s key governance issues are corruption, ineptitude, and a lack of patriotism.
“Even if these people were in their thirties, they’d act the same way—or worse. Adebayo added that it is not about age, but about who they are—evil, opportunistic, crooked, and incompetent.
He used former US President Joe Biden and Singapore’s founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, to support his argument that skill, not age, determines excellent leadership.
“Look at Joe Biden in the United States; he’s in his late 70s. Even though the current US President is 79, there is little debate regarding how age affects leadership capacity.
It comes down to personality, competence, education, exposure, and patriotism, all of which these leaders lack. What age was Lee Kuan Yew when he transformed Singapore?
There is no need for a constitutional change to create an age limit for anyone over 60. We’ve had leaders under 50 and even under 40. What did they do? The discussion concerning age limits is useless.
The CUPP scribe said that Nigeria’s problem is not age, but rather ineptitude, corruption, and a lack of patriotism among its leaders.
Rufus Aiyenigba, SDP’s National Publicity Secretary, acknowledged the role of youth in administration but argued that leadership remains a function of experience, values, and ability.
“Governance is a result of age in several ways. From the military era until the present, there have been many young persons in positions of authority. Some performed well, while others did not. “Age alone does not determine leadership success,” Aiyenigba maintained.
He emphasised the importance of an organised framework for evaluating leadership skills, proposing that presidential candidates participate in live debates to measure their intellectual and emotional capacities.
“What matters is the quality a person brings. How do we evaluate ability and competence? Why don’t we mandate live debates for presidential candidates?
“That way, the public can assess their intelligence, vision, and fitness for leadership,” he proposed.
Aiyenigba stressed the importance of balancing energy, dynamism, and experience in leadership, adding that governance is not an entry-level position, but rather one that requires persons who have been tried and prepared.