Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State says politicians above 60 years should not be allowed to run for president in the next general election in 2023.
The governor is one of the rumored presidential hopeful seeking to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in office when the latter’s tenure winds down in two years time.
By the assertion from the quinquagenarian, he is obviously suggesting the disqualification of Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos governor who will clock 69 in three days time.
Mr Tinubu, a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), reportedly reactivated his political mercenaries across the nation last year with an office in Abuja, although he is yet to officially declare his intention.
His request, if adopted, will also bar Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, who will clock 75 in November. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain trounced during the 2019 general election is seriously staging a come back for the top office in the land, according to his son.
Represented by his adviser on federal matters, Makinde Araoye, the Ekiti governor at a conference organised by the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC) in Abuja on Thursday said the country has suffered enough and it was time the youths take over its political structure.
“We have 2022 and 2023 elections around the corner, and in the new dispensations that are coming up, what is our role? Are we going to be blocking the toll gates? Are we going to be burning the national flag?” he queried.
“Are we going to be tweeting #ENDSARS#; or are we going to grab the mantle of power that we have now to dictate who the next president of Nigeria will be; and who the next governors in Nigeria will be?
“One thing I can tell you is that we, the Nigerian youths, are not going to allow anyone above the age of 60 years to run for president. Nigerians have suffered enough. Enough is enough. It is not by saying, we have to go into action and we have to mobilise,” the governor added.
