Shehu Sani Encourages Young People to Engage in Politics and Support Finances for Up-and-Coming Contenders

Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna Central, is calling on young Nigerians to throw their support behind members of their own generation who are seeking public office, rather than backing established politicians by buying them nomination forms.

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This appeal was made by Sani in a post he shared on his X handle on Sunday, in which he also questioned the level of political engagement and participation among young people in the electoral process.

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Sani posed a series of questions, including why young people are not using their collective resources to purchase nomination forms for their peers, instead of supporting the same political elites who have failed them in the past.

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He also wondered why they are not leveraging their energy on social media to drive political change, and why they are not taking full advantage of the opportunities created by the Not Too Young to Run Act.

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Sani's comments come at a time when reports have emerged that beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund in Anambra State have endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term and donated N10.7 million towards the purchase of his expression of interest form.

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The students who made the endorsement cited the positive impact of the loan scheme as their reason, but many others have criticized the move as a misguided priority.

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The Not Too Young to Run Act, which was passed in 2018, lowered the minimum age requirements for various elective positions in Nigeria, including reducing the age limit for the presidency from 40 to 35.

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Under this law, the minimum age for governors and senators was reduced from 35 to 30, and for members of the House of Representatives and state assemblies from 30 to 25.

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In a related development, Sani himself has recently obtained APC nomination forms to contest the Kaduna Central Senatorial seat.