A governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Lekan Bamiro, has said the nomination forms of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for different political offices are too expensive for the younger politicians to bear.

He said this over the weekend while declaring his intention to vie for the exalted position, on the platform of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), in Abeokuta.

Bamiro said the development would discourage young aspirants from indicating interest and contesting for elective positions.

“The way INEC has structured elections in Nigeria; it is too expensive for young persons to be involved.

A lot of people that are meant to be participating are complaining about the fees.

“I think it’s about 5million to buy the governorship form from INEC. That is a hindrance. It is stopping younger people from joining.

“While we are talking about ‘Not Too Young To Rule’, it should also be noted that we are too young to afford that kind of money.

If truly they want Nigeria to be good and they want young people to be involved, they should bring the fees down. It is too high for our pockets.

“The problem is from the top. The Nigerian government needs to look at this issue critically, instead of talking about the ‘Not Too Young to Rule’. They should look at the policies behind the rule,” he added.

While making a case for youth inclusion in governance, Bamiro insisted that there can be no meaningful development in the country, if young people are not given the opportunity to bring their dynamism and positive energy to play in governance.

He said further,” It’s time for the youths to be involved in the polity of Ogun State and by extension in Nigeria. The reason most countries of the world are vibrant and developing rapidly is that they have the youths at the helms of power.

“Why we have problems in Nigeria is simply because the older generation, not that they don’t have a clue, want it to be business as usual. If you have the young and vibrant people in power, they will know what to do. We need young people to get involved in the polity and the quality of elections in Nigeria.”

• Culled from a Tribune report

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