By Chimezie Godfrey
The #NotTooYoungToRun Movement has inaugurated the Taraba state House of Assembly into its ‘Hall Of Shame’ for voting against the passage of the age reduction bill. This was contained in the official statement on the passage of the Not Too Young To Run Bill by 25 state Assemblies required to make it a law, released Friday in Abuja.
According to a member of the movement, Cynthia Mbamelu, “ Since the movement started voting for the constitutional amendment, only the Taraba State House of Assembly has voted against the age reduction bill.
“On the 20th December 2017, the movement was disappointed by the decision of the state assembly against the reduction bill. This is a major set back for Nigeria’s democracy.
“We are therefore inaugurating the Taraba State Assembly into the Not Too Young To Run Hall of Shame. We urge youths of Taraba to vote out the 11 lawmakers who voted against the will of their people,” she said.
The movement also declared the inauguration of the other 25 states Houses of Assemblies who supported the passage of the bill into the Not Too Young To Run Hall of Fame, declaring them henceforth to be referred to as Youth friendly State Assemblies.
The States are, Abia, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, and Yobe state House of Assemblies.
The movement urged the state Houses of Assembly, National Assembly, to without further delay transmit the constitutional amendment bill to President Buhari for assent.
They said should the President decline assent, the National Assembly should veto the President. They said in the interest of Nigeria’s democracy, they are giving the state Assemblies, National Assembly, and the executive 30 days to conclude the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
One of the sponsors of the movement, Hon. Tony Nwodo, said, “The one that touched me the most that we have a state Assembly that could vote ‘NO’ to the Not Too Young To Run Bill.
“This is not about politics, it is about nation building, about mainstreaming the young people into the mainstream politics.
The official statement was endorsed by Abuja Global Shapers, The Election Network, Amplified Radio, Young Initiative for Change,Adamawa, North East Youth Initiative Forum, among other organizations.
