Ahead of 2023 general election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may waive fees paid on nomination form for any aspirant under the age of 35 years seeking to become the party’s standard-bearer for presidential, governorship, and elective public offices across the country.
The party may also set an age bracket for the position of Youth Leader at all levels of the party structure including wards, local government, state, and national.
These and other recommendations were currently been considered by the party leadership after receiving a letter from its National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee chaired by senate former president, Bukola Saraki.
The recommendations were contained in a one-page letter signed by Saraki, and addressed to the party’s National Chairman, Uche Secondus, last Thursday.
In the letter, the committee explained that the recommendation was a result of the meeting held with the party’s National Youth Leader and other youth leaders across the 36 states of the nation earlier in the month.
The committee added that if the recommendations were implemented, it would assist to resolve disputes, reconcile aggrieved members and foster cohesion and unity within the party.
According to the committee, the youths presented some requests during the meeting and the demands were deliberated upon by the committee on March 22, 2021, following which the two-point recommendations contained in the letter were agreed upon.
The implication of the recommendation on waiver of the nomination fees for youths aspiring to various offices means that where the party guidelines for instance demand that a gubernatorial aspirant pays N20 million for nomination form and N1 million for Expression of Interest form, any aspirant below the age of 35 years will get the nomination form at no cost, while they only pay the N1 million Expression of Interest fee.
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 utilise the new constitutional provisions on the age requirements for political office holders, otherwise called the Not Too Young to Run Bill.
