By Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed  President Muhammadu Buhari for signing into law the Not Too Young To Run Bill.
The ruling party however condemned the reaction of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) to the President’s assent.
In a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, APC said it was unfortunate that the opposition PDP “had chosen this very moment of victory for our youths to be a killjoy and engage in its usual pettiness and unnecessary divisive politics over the bill’s sponsor in the National Assembly.
“This is indeed another promise kept by the President during his 2018 Democracy Day address and in our 2015 APC election manifesto in which we promised to provide the opportunities for youths to realise, harness, and develop their full potentials and to facilitate the emergence of a new generation of citizens committed to the sustenance of good governance and service to the people and the country.
“We also hail the efforts of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, under whose leadership the Bill was passed in the National Assembly and forwarded for presidential assent, the party said.
It also congratulated the Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), Youngstars Development Initiative (YDI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) who partnered to launch the “Not Too Young To Run†(NTYTR) campaign.
The party said its believes the massive support the Bill received particularly from APC members in the National Assembly speaks volume of the progressive ideals the party continues to identify with and champion, irrespective of partisan considerations and interests.
“This is indeed a major milestone in advocacy efforts to ensure increased participation and inclusion of marginalised groups, in this case the youth in Nigerian politics. The youth comprise roughly half of the Nigerian population, it is only right that they take their rightful place within Party leadership structures and elective positions at all levels.
“We are confident that the new law will inspire a new thinking among many Nigerian youths pertaining their roles in elections and politics. Youths should not be used as disruptive elements, thugs and social media mobs, it is possible for young people to lead politically and occupy elective positions,” it said.
