A youth group known as Youth Take-Over 2019 Movement has said that it will not accept any presidential candidate above 55 years of age in 2019.
The Anambra Coordinator of the group, Mr Chris Ofodile made the call in a statement made available to journalists on Monday ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The group said it was mobilizing its members to ensure that leaders between the ages of 25 and 45 emerged as governors, senators and house of representatives members.
Ofodile said, “We demand for a president of Nigeria not more than 55 years and, that young leaders between the ages of 25 and 45 years be voted in as governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives.”
The coordinator expressed regret that the country had over the years, experienced the worse forms of leadership characterized by hunger, joblessness, insecurity, fear, pain and strife with infrastructure in disrepair.
He said in spite of the despair among Nigerians occasioned by the leadership, the political elite had continued to revel in stupendous opulence.
“No doubt, many other reasons can be adduced for our sad trajectory; chief of which is the conscious isolation of youths from the corridors of political power.
“In spite of the numerous achievements in all areas of live, the youth are only engaged by the traditional political elite as mobilisers, personal assistants, and sometimes instruments of electoral malpractice.
“It is the desire of Youth Take-Over 2019 Movement to put a stop to this; we can begin to identify youths of quality character and integrity for higher positions,” Ofodile stressed.
He also appealed to Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra to graciously jump-start the process that would lead to the conduct of local government elections in the state.