The House of Representatives on Thursday passed for second reading a bill seeking to stop anyone above 60 years from contesting for election to the Offices of the President and Governor in Nigeria.
Should the bill pass legislative scrutiny and is signed into law, President Bola Ahmed 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 of age.
The bill, is sponsored by Rep. Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, and it proposes amendments to the 1999 Constitution to revise eligibility requirements for these key political positions.
According to the bill: Presidential and gubernatorial candidates must not be older than 60 years at the time of contesting.
Candidates must hold at least a Bachelor’s degree in their chosen field of study.
The bill specifically amends Section 131 of the constitution to introduce the age limit for the presidency and Section 177 to apply the same requirement to gubernatorial candidates.
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