The National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee (NRSC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has recommended the exemption of nomination fees for aspirants who are 35 years and below.
This was confirmed in a letter dated March 25, 2021, signed by the committees’ chairman, former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and addressed to Prince Uche Secondus, the PDP national chairman.
The committee also advised the National Working Committee (NWC) to immediately recommend to its National Executive Committee,
the amendment of the party’s constitution to include 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.
The PDP NRSC 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 on March 9th, 2021 “in furtherance of its mandate to resolve disputes, reconcile aggrieved members and foster cohesion and unity within the party”.
The committee had noted that the youths presented some requests during the meeting and the demands were deliberated upon by the committee on March 22nd, 2021.
It added that the implication of the recommendation on waiver of the nomination fees for youths means that where the party guidelines for instance demand that a gubernatorial aspirant pay N20 million for nomination form and N1m 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 N1m Expression of Interest fee.
The party said the measure is aimed at easing the burden of participation in the political process on the youths and encouraging 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.