As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 common elections, stakeholders have urged younger folks and ladies to hunt elective places of work, take part actively in political processes and maintain elected officers accountable past election day.
They made the decision on the 2026 DARE Conference, organised by YouthHub Africa, the place discussions centered on youth management, girls’s illustration, electoral participation and civic engagement.
The convention, which introduced collectively individuals from Abuja, different elements of Nigeria and overseas, was held underneath the theme “Youth Power as a Force for Change on the Continent”.
Speaking on the occasion, the Executive Director of YouthHub Africa, Rotimi Olawale, urged younger Nigerians to take part in elections earlier than, throughout and after voting, stressing that democratic engagement mustn’t finish when ballots are forged.
He inspired younger folks to make use of lawful means, together with peaceable protests and freedom of affiliation, to demand accountability from public officers.
Olawale additionally urged them to interact with state and native governments, noting that choices made at these ranges instantly have an effect on their communities.
He mentioned the assumption that votes don’t depend mustn’t discourage younger folks from voting, acknowledging that electoral irregularities might happen however insisting that residents ought to train their proper to decide on their leaders.
On legislative efforts to extend youth participation in politics, he mentioned measures that develop alternatives for younger folks to contest elections and take part in political processes must be supported.
He additionally recommended members of the National Youth Service Corps serving in election-related roles, notably these working at polling items underneath troublesome and typically dangerous situations.
Ahead of the 2027 elections, Olawale known as for peaceable political participation and urged younger folks to respect opposing views and reject intimidation and violence.
He mentioned residents should proceed to watch the efficiency of elected officers after elections, describing accountability as a crucial a part of democratic governance.
“Elections will come and go, but we have the next four years to hold our government accountable, and that, for me, is where the real work is,” he mentioned.
Similarly, the Director of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative, Solape Sonuga, mentioned the Not Too Young To Act, enacted in 2018, had widened alternatives for younger Nigerians to contest elective positions.
However, she maintained that legislative reforms alone couldn’t assure significant youth illustration, calling for sustained advocacy, political mobilisation and engagement by civil society organisations.
“Your vote does count. Do not be disenfranchised. Do not be discouraged. You matter in Nigeria’s democracy,” Sonuga mentioned.
She urged younger Nigerians to stay dedicated to political participation regardless of the challenges, including that these searching for to affect nationwide growth have to be ready to work in the direction of gaining political illustration.
A National Youth Service Corps member, Hafsa Yusuf, recognized insufficient funding as a serious impediment to youth participation in politics.
She mentioned aspiring younger politicians usually struggled to lift cash for campaigns, transportation, voter mobilisation and different bills related to contesting elections.
Yusuf mentioned extra alternatives have been wanted to allow younger folks to take part in politics somewhat than depart management positions largely within the fingers of older generations.
On girls’s illustration, Gladys Eleojo Omenefu, the Project Lead of the Young Feminist Solidarity and Climate Project at TechHer, urged girls to pursue political workplace and take a extra lively position in decision-making.
She mentioned perceptions that votes wouldn’t depend or that election outcomes have been predetermined might discourage girls from collaborating within the electoral course of.
Omenefu urged girls to problem such assumptions by contesting elections and pushing for insurance policies that deal with points affecting them, together with healthcare, entrepreneurship and entry to alternatives.
She cautioned towards assuming that ladies in political workplace would robotically symbolize the pursuits of different girls, stressing the necessity for extra girls to hunt management positions themselves.
“Nobody is going to hand this over to you. You just have to do the work,” she mentioned.
Omenefu additionally highlighted TechHer’s efforts to sensitise girls and supply safer digital areas for these advocating for his or her rights, together with journalists and feminine politicians.
She mentioned the organisation helps girls going through on-line abuse by psychosocial help, engagement with legislation enforcement companies and efforts to take away dangerous content material from digital platforms.
She added that amplifying girls’s voices and highlighting their achievements might encourage extra girls to pursue management positions.
The stakeholders known as for sustained civic schooling, inclusive political participation and stronger accountability mechanisms forward of the 2027 elections, urging younger folks and ladies to translate calls for for illustration into lively political engagement.
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