Efio-Ita Nyok|14 February 2018
The Cross River state chapter of The Not Too Young To Run Movement, a movement of youths and civil society groups advocating for the reduction of age for running for elective offices, Tuesday, registered its demand to the 8th Cross River State House of Assembly (CRSHA) to particularly pass the Age Reduction Bill popularly labeled the #NotTooYoungToRunBill NegroidHaven can report authoritatively.
This message was contained in a statement made available to pressmen immediately after its Not Too Young To Run Movement Press Conference held yesterday at Senator Ben Ayade Job Centre, Calabar.
In the press release, the group urged the 8th CRSHA to speedily pass the recently amended constitution by the National Assembly particularly the #NotTooYoungToRunBill into law. They alleged that a delay of the passage will undermine Nigeria's democracy. They also urged the National Assembly (NASS) to forward the constitutional amendment bills for presidential assent immediately the state finally register their inclination.
The statement reads in part, 'We call on our state assembly to urgently pass the constitutional amendment especially the Age Reduction bill in the interest of Nigeria and our democracy. We urge the National Assembly to transmit the constitutional amendment bills to the President for assent as soon as the amendments are received from the states. Any further delay will not only undermine Nigeria's democracy but could negatively impact on the 2019 elections', it observed.
'According to Section 9 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended) a constitutional amendment requires approval by at least 24 state Houses of Assembly. The Movement uses this opportunity to call on all state house of assemblies who are yet to pass the bill to emulate their colleagues by voting YES for the bill. An affirmative Vote for the bill will be another historic step to secure the future of Youths and indeed the next generation.
'As we prepare for the 2019 general elections the imperative for youth inclusion especially as candidates for all elective positions is not a matter for debate but a constitutional imperative. We demand that our state House of Assembly speedily pass the Not Too Young To Run bill', the group added.
The Movement commended the 21 states house of assembly that have passed the Age Reduction Bill inaugurating it into what it refers to as the Not Too Young To Run Hall of Fame mentioning Kogi, Kebbi, Bauchi, Jigawa, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Ogun, Niger and Abia, Yobe, Gombe, Ekiti, Delta, Nasarawa, Enugu, among others.
The Cross River state coordinator of the Not Too Young To Run Movement, Mr Etim Effanga, while fielding questions from the press informed that Cross River State House of Assembly was yet to pass the Not Too Young To Run bill. That while the House had assured of its passage on Friday 12th January 2018 after sitting on Wednesday 10th January, it was yet to seat officially. He said reasons were not known why they had not passed it. He called on them to consider its immediate passage.
The #NotTooYoungToRunMovement is reportedly Nigeria's largest and most successful pro-youth/youth movement in contemporary times. It's inspired by the compelling need to restructure the country's political system to address the deeply entrenched system of political exclusion and institute inclusive politics, transformative leadership and electoral competitiveness in the country's electoral process.
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor-in-Chief & Publisher of NegroidHaven