Political Travails: Who Is Afraid of the Youth? By Francis Akinlotan
Political Travails: Who Is Afraid of the Youth? By Francis Akinlotan
Any unsuspecting member of the public would mistake the lowering of the age of eligibility to contest for public office through the passing of the “Not Too Young Bill” as an act or sign of encouragement or inclusion in political participation of the youth by the Federal Government through its agency, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Nothing can be further from the truth. INEC is desperately, shamelessly, and vehemently against the participation of the youth in politics. INEC’s continuous victimization of the Youth Party; and its refusal to conduct a year-round continuous voters registration from 2017 until 28th June 2021 (which would have made citizens who turned 18 years of age after the last registration process eligible to vote and voted for) speaks volume to the same end. INEC, thus, is morphing into an enemy of democracy. All newly registered voters, predominantly youth (65% plus), have been banned from voting in the upcoming Local Government Polls in Lagos and Ogun.