The Nigerian Senate on Saturday, gave reassurance that the Bill to amend the age requirements to run for office (#NotTooYoungToRun Bill) is still a part of the Constitution Review process.
The reassurance was prompted by allegations among critical stakeholders, especially from sponsors of the bill, Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth & Advancement (YIAGA), that the proposed amendment was not included in the final report considered and adopted by the lawmakers at the joint retreat on constitution review held in Lagos.
However, in a messsage on its twitter handle, the Senate debunked claims of habing dropped the bill and disclosed that it was part of the report laid down on the floor of the Senate on Thursday.
According to the message, "the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill was part of the Report that was laid on the floor of the Senate on Thursday, July 20th by the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
"As directed by the The President of The Senate - Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Nigerian Senate, at its plenary next week Tuesday, will begin consideration of all the Constitution Review Bills — this also includes the #NotToYoungToRunBill," the Senate tweeted.
News of the alleged discarding of the bill had infuriated youth advocacy groups with YIAGA particularly scathing in its criticism of the lawmakers.
In an article published on its website, yiaga.org, the group accsued the "over-paid, self serving legislators" of once more proving that "they do not really care about the interests of the people they claim to represent."
They also accused lawmakers of lacking a clear understanding of what the #NotTooYoungToRun bill seeks to achieve as well as commercialising the constitution review process.
Meanwhile, the Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman of the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Ike Ekweremadu, had at a retreat in Lagos last weekend assured that the current constitution review exercise will be concluded by December to insulate the process from partisan politics and other narrow interests.
Pro-youth groups will be hopeful that the Senate will retain the #NotTooYoungToRun bill among approved amendments at the end of the process.
