The Peoples Democratic Party, the Coalition of United Political Parties and the Social Democratic Party have condemned the House of Representatives’ move to impose age limits for the offices of the president and governor in the country.
Through a bill that passed second reading yesterday, the House aimed to prevent individuals over 60 from running for president and governor in Nigeria, reports The PUNCH.
If the bill scales legislative scrutiny and is signed into law, President Bola Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, will miss out on the 2027 presidential contest as they are all above 60 years.
The PDP criticized the move as a misplaced priority, accusing the lawmakers of focusing on trivial issues while neglecting more important ones.
It argued that Nigeria’s main governance challenges lie in corruption, incompetence, and a lack of patriotism rather than age.
On the other hand, the SDP acknowledged that age does play a role in governance to some extent.
Titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to alter 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,’ was sponsored Ikenga Ugochinyere, representing Ideato North/Ideato South Federal Constituency of Imo State.
The bill provides that “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.
“Section 131 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a paragraph which reads, “That he is not more than 60 years 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 60 years old at the time of vying for the office of governor.”
In response, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, labelled the lawmakers as ‘’the most irresponsible in Nigeria’s history.’’
Osadolor, in an interview, stated that Nigeria’s issues are not related to age.
He stated, “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.’’
He further argued, “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.”
The National Publicity Secretary of CUPP, Mark Adebayo, strongly rejected the notion that leadership quality is tied to age, arguing that corruption, incompetence, and lack of patriotism are Nigeria’s main governance problems.
“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,” Adebayo stated.
He referenced ex-United States President Joe Biden and Singapore’s founding leader, Lee Kuan Yew, to buttress his points that competence, not age, determines good leadership.
“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’s 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,’’ the CUPP scribe declared.
On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of SDP, Rufus Aiyenigba acknowledged the importance of youth in governance but insisted that leadership is still a function of experience, values, and competence.
“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,” Aiyenigba argued.
He highlighted the need for a structured system to assess leadership qualities, proposing mandatory live debates for presidential candidates to evaluate their intellectual and emotional capacities.
“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,” he suggested.
Aiyenigba emphasised the need for a balance between energy, dynamism, and experience in leadership, stating that governance is not an entry-level job but a role requiring individuals who have been tested and prepared.
