Aspirants below the age of 35, seeking elective positions on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 elections may not need to pay nomination fees.
This is part of the recommendation by the National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee (NRSC) of the party led by Dr. Bukola Saraki in a letter addressed to the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus.
However, such persons would still have to pay for the Expression of Interest form which is much cheaper than the nomination fees.
The measure is believed to be aimed at easing the burden of participation in the political process on the youths and encourage them to purposefully and positively utilize the new constitutional provisions on the age requirements for political office holders, otherwise called the Not Too Young to Run Bill.
Naija News understands the Saraki-led committee in a one-page letter dated March 25, 2021, also advised the National Working Committee (NWC) to immediately recommend to the National Executive Committee (NEC) that the party constitution be amended to the effect that “only persons not less than 18 years old and not more than 35 years can contest for the position of Youth Leader at all levels of the party structure – wards, local government, state and national”.
The committee explained that the recommendation was a result of the meeting it held with the party’s National Youth Leader and other youth leaders across the 36 states of the nation on March 9th, 2021 “in furtherance of its mandate to resolve disputes, reconcile aggrieved members and foster cohesion and unity within the party”.
The youths made the requests during their meeting with the reconciliation committee, the committee deliberated on their demands and thereafter forwarded a two-point recommendation contained in the letter to the national leadership of the PDP.
In other news, former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has declared that it is time for those who truly believe in the country to help the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Atiku noted that it has become obvious that the current administration lacks the capacity to help the nation and the citizens but anyone who has the interest of Nigerians at heart must rise up and help in whichever way they can.
He added that the Buhari administration has a habit of rejecting ideas from other quarters but the indices continue to show Nigeria is not heading in the right direction under the current administration, hence the need for stakeholders to continue talking.
The former Vice President lamented that all the gains accrued to the nation by previous democratic leaders particularly during the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo have been eroded due to wrong government policies.