Opinion
Not Too Young to Run and Historic Wins In Nigeria’s 2023 Elections – Samson Itodo

Dissatisfaction with democratic politics is fueled partly by the dominance of gerontocrats in politics and the disconnect between politics and citizens. The value citizens derive from politics is primarily influenced by the manner political actors practice the game of politics. Politics loses its relevance when it fails to deliver tangible outputs to citizens. It takes a cadre of political actors with a sense of purpose and commitment to democratic values, ethical leadership, and the common good to achieve the desired outcome of democratic politics – freedom and development. This notion explains the ideological foundation of the globally acclaimed Not Too Young to Run movement aimed at changing the face of politics by mobilizing young people into politics and supporting them to stay in politics.
Nigeria’s 2023 general election is the second general election since the passage of the Not Too Young to Run Act in 2018 which resulted in a reduction in the age qualification for the office of the President from 40 to 35years, House of Representatives from 30 to 25 years and State House of Assembly from 30 to 25 years. Nigeria’s youths deserve commendation for maximizing youth power to disrupt the political landscape through constitutional reforms. Before enacting the legislation, Nigeria grappled with poor youth representation in elective offices. In 2015, three out of 360 members in the House of Representatives were youth (18 – 35yrs), representing 0.3% of elected legislators. The figure was higher in State Houses of Assembly with 57 youths (6%) occupying seats out of 993 state constituency seats. Thanks to the Not Too Young to Run movement, 3% of seats in the House of Representatives were occupied by youth (25 – 35yrs) and 8% in state legislatures, signaling a gradual but remarkable shift in the 2019 elections.
An analysis of the list of candidates for the 2023 election indicates a decline in youth candidacy from 34% in the 2019 general election to 28.6% in 2023. Although young people maintained dominance as the largest demography (37.7%) on the national voter register, they were a minority on the list of candidates on the ballot. Despite the decline in youth candidacy in the 2023 election, youth representation in the legislature improved slightly compared to the 2015 and 2019 elections. Three dominant trends in youth participation in politics provide a plausible explanation for this outlook. First, in the last three election cycles, political parties were more likely to nominate more youth candidates for legislative seats at the state level rather than for executive offices or National Assembly seats. Even with the competitive nature of state-level races, the political reality suggests that legislative offices at the state level offer better opportunities for young people to contest and win elections. Second, while youth demography is the highest on the national register of voters, youth candidacy hardly inspires youth turnout. Third, youth candidates nominated by established political parties are more likely to win elections than those sponsored by less established parties.
Historic wins
Changing the face of politics in political contests defined by machine politics, patriarchy, and gerontocracy is a tall order. Notwithstanding, young politicians produced significant upsets and unseated incumbents during the 2023 election. As the Yiaga Africa report shows, Youth representation in the legislature improved slightly. Compared to 2015 and 2019, young people won more seats in the National and State Houses of Assembly in the 2023 elections. Youth representation in the House of Representatives increased from 3% in 2019 to 3.92% (0.9 increase), while in the state assemblies there was a 0.3% increase from 8.9% to 9.2%. Young people between ages 25 and 35 won 14 out of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives, and 92 out of 993 constituency seats in sub-national legislative houses. .
Excitedly, the election produced historic wins on two levels. First, two direct beneficiaries of Not Too Young to Run, under 29 years, won seats in the National Assembly. Second, young female legislators recorded historic wins in legislative elections–Four young female legislators under 35 won legislative seats in three state assemblies–namely Delta, Lagos, and Kwara, with Kwara State having the highest record of young female legislators. Notably, the youngest elected female legislator, 26 years, is from Kwara state. It’s the first-time voters will elect four young female legislators and candidates below 30 years to the National and State Assembly in the 25 years of Nigeria’s uninterrupted democratic journey. These historic wins represent young people’s resilience, resistance, and courage to shift the balance of power in democratic politics. It demonstrates what is possible when the political space is expanded, through constitutional and policy reform, for new voices to emerge. Unseating established and well-resourced incumbents and navigating months of legal battles, political intrigues, and Machiavellian politics to secure electoral wins is a welcome disruption.
Making the historic wins count
The net effect of high legislative performance is improved governance and sustainable development, which is the desire of constituents and voters. These historic wins will only count if the elected young legislators make a difference by ensuring excellent legislative performance. Legislative leadership requires an investment in sustained capacity building for young legislators, who are primarily first-time lawmakers, to improve their knowledge of legislative practice and procedure. In addition to the National Assembly, civil society, think tanks, and development partners should create opportunities for enhancing the capacity of young legislators through training, publications, and learning exchange visits. Legislative houses should assign leadership roles to young legislators to maximize their intellect, energy, and creativity in improving legislative governance. A few states have elected young legislators as speakers, deputy speakers, and principal officers. Five state legislatures elected under 40 speakers, and one state has a 35-year-old as Speaker. Media organizations should take deliberate steps to spotlight the contributions of young legislators to legislative governance and ensure media visibility for young legislators at the National and State assemblies. Constituents require regular and accurate information on legislative activities to hold elected representatives to account.
Providing incentives could inspire high legislative performance in contexts where effective leadership and legislative performance are in short supply. Legislators feel motivated to deliver campaign promises and quality representation if they feel their efforts will be recognized and celebrated, or it could translate to high social and political capital – the currency for electoral politics. For this reason, Yiaga Africa, with support from its partners, recently instituted the Not Too Young To Run Leadership Prize for Legislative Performance to recognize and celebrate outstanding young legislators who, under challenging circumstances, achieve excellent legislative performance in lawmaking, legislative oversight, and constituent representation. The Prize is open to young legislators who make significant contributions to legislative governance. The ultimate objective of the Prize is to showcase exceptional young legislators as models of public leadership and to motivate current legislators to deliver legislative leadership and quality representation.
Samson Itodo is an election, democracy, and public policy enthusiast. Itodo serves as the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa. He is also a Board member of the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Board of Advisers of International IDEA. Please send comments and feedback to sitodo@yiaga.org. He tweets @DSamsonItodo.
National
Ken Nnamani Denies Pleading With Abbo On Judge’s Behalf

Ken Nnamani, a former president of the senate, says he did not beg Elisha Abbo, a former senator representing Adamawa north, on behalf of any judge after the ex-lawmaker lost his election case in court.
In October 2023, the court of appeal sacked Abbo and declared Amos Yohanna, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the winner of the Adamawa north senatorial election.
Appearing on Channels Television on Wednesday, Abbo said he was a victim of “miscarriage of justice”.
The former senator said Nnamani pleaded with him on behalf of a judge after he lost his election case in 2023.
Reacting in a statement, the former senate president described Abbo’s claim as “blatant lies”.
“My greatest surprise was to hear him state that Senator Ken Nnamani visited him to plead with him on behalf of a judge for the miscarriage of justice. This statement is a blatant lie. I do not know how Senator Abbo can boldly fabricate an event that never happened to buttress his allegation of judicial miscarriage against him,” he said.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I have never visited Senator Elisha Abbo at his house or anywhere. Up to this moment, I do not know where he lives. I have never discussed with him about his case, or any case pending or decided by any court of law in Nigeria.
“The only time I met with him was when he visited me in my house. It was more of a social visit by him. At this meeting, we never discussed his case or any case. I recall that when the matter of his political career came up, I advised him to avoid controversies as a young politician.
“The statements Senator Abbo made regarding me and his case are all fabrications. I believe I have had a sterling and distinguished public service career. I am determined to maintain my integrity and commitment to excellence till the end of my life.”
National
FG To Implement Policy Compelling IOCs To Drill Or Drop Inactive Oil Wells

Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of state for petroleum resources, says the federal government plans to commence implementing the drill-or-drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Section 94 of the PIA gives operators a period of three years to begin oil production or relinquish the assets to the federal government.
Speaking during the Cross Industry Group (CIG) meeting held on Tuesday in Florence, Italy, Lokpobiri said it is in the best interest of the country that all inactive wells go to work.
He said the federal government, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, has provided every necessary incentive to ensure international oil companies (IOCs) in Nigeria run smoothly and profitably.
“Now, it is imperative for these industry players to match the government’s efforts with increased investment by announcing final investment decisions (FIDs),” he said.
Furthermore, Lokpobiri discussed “the challenges, expectations, and measures to enhance the sector’s contributions towards domestic energy needs and regional expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa”.
He emphasised that while IOCs have highlighted engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors as a challenge, “EPCs will not come unless they see strong commitments from industry players”.
“The government has done its part to provide the requisite and investment-friendly fiscals, the ball is now in the court of the IOCs and other operators to make strategic investment decisions that will drive increased production and sustainability in the sector,” he said.
“We must also recognise that domestic crude supply is essential to national energy security. The best solution to this challenge lies in increasing production, which will ensure a balance between domestic supply obligations and external commitments.”
The minister further urged industry players to explore collaborative measures, such as shared resources for contiguous assets and the release of underutilised assets to operators ready to invest in production.
National
Pan-African Student Movement Lauds Ogun State Police Leadership

The Progressive Students Movement (PSM), a leading Pan-African student body, has commended the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Ogun State under Commissioner of Police (CP) Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, for its commitment to security and community engagement.
In a statement released on Thursday, the President of PSM Nigeria, Comrade Ambassador Okereafor Bestman, highlighted the CP’s efforts in strengthening collaboration between the police, stakeholders, and other security agencies to maintain peace and stability in the state.
“It is worthy of note that CP Lanre Ogunlowo, PhD, has further fostered a harmonious working synergy between the police, stakeholders, and other security agents aimed at ensuring peace and tranquility in Ogun State,” Okereafor said.
The student leader expressed confidence in CP Ogunlowo’s leadership, stating that Ogun State is on track to becoming one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria under his administration.
He also praised the professionalism and dedication of the Ogun State Police Command in tackling crime, regardless of its scale.
Additionally, PSM acknowledged the Ogun State government’s continued support for security agencies, particularly in providing mobility and logistics to enhance their operational efficiency.
The commendation comes at a time when security remains a top priority for residents and authorities in the state, with ongoing efforts to curb crime and ensure public safety.