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A bill seeking to bar persons above 60 years of age from contesting presidential and governorship elections in Nigeria passed second reading at the house of representatives on Thursday.
The bill is sponsored by Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker from Imo.
The proposal aims to amend sections 131 and 177 of the constitution to review the qualification of a person seeking election into the office of the president, vice-president, governor and deputy governor.
Sections 131 and 177 stipulate that a person shall be qualified for election to the office of the president and governor respectively, if he/she “has been educated up to at least school certificate level or its equivalent”.
The proposed amendment seeks to raise the educational requirement to a minimum of a university degree, requiring candidates to have earned a Bachelor’s degree in their chosen field.
The bill also proposes a new subsection to limit candidates to 60 years at the time of vying for the office of president or governor.
If the bill becomes law, President Bola Tinubu, who turns 73 on March 29, would be ineligible to seek re-election.
Also, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra, both of whom contested the 2023 presidential election, would also be disqualified from running in the next election as they are over 60.
