ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has called on Nigerian youths to channel their energy and resources towards supporting young politicians seeking elective offices instead of funding older political figures.
Sani made the appeal in a post shared on his X handle on Sunday, where he questioned why many young Nigerians appeared more interested in mobilising support for established political elites than members of their own generation.
“Why are the youths not contributing money to buy forms for the members of their generation to contest elections, but prefer to buy forms for the political elites that failed their generation?” he wrote.
The former senator also challenged Nigerian youths to transform their online activism into direct political participation ahead of future elections.
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“Why not transform their social media energy to political energy? Why are they not taking advantage of the opportunity provided by the Not Too Young To Run Act?” he added.
Sani’s comments followed reports that some beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund in Anambra State endorsed President Bola Tinubu for a second term and reportedly donated N10.7 million towards the purchase of his expression of interest form.
The endorsement sparked mixed reactions, with critics describing the donation as misplaced priority despite the students’ claim that the gesture was in appreciation of the impact of the student loan scheme.
The Not Too Young To Run Act, signed into law in 2018, reduced the age requirements for Nigerians seeking elective positions.
Under the law, the minimum age for presidential candidates was reduced from 40 to 35 years, governorship and senatorial candidates from 35 to 30 years, while candidates for the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly now qualify from the age of 25.
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Sani, who recently obtained APC nomination forms to contest the Kaduna Central Senatorial seat, has consistently advocated greater political participation among Nigerian youths.
The former lawmaker maintained that young Nigerians must move beyond social media conversations and actively participate in shaping the country’s political direction through leadership and electoral involvement.