Special Report
By Chukwudi George Ozalla
As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, political conversations across the country has continued to intensify around youth participation, leadership transition and the growing demand for structured inclusion of young people in governance.
These discussions took centre stage on Saturday 9th. May, 2026 in Abuja at the National Youth Leaders Hangout with Journalists, organized by the Forum of National Youth Leaders of All Political Parties in Nigeria (FNYLPPN), held at Kapital Klub and Apartments, Asokoro. The gathering brought together youth party leaders, journalists, politicians, policymakers and civil society actors to deliberate on the place of young Nigerians in the nation’s political future.
Opening the engagement, the Chairman of the Forum and National Youth Leader of APGA, Eze Onyebuchi Chukwu (Delaw), set the tone with a firm call for systemic reforms that would guarantee meaningful youth participation in political leadership and decision-making.
Chukwu during his speech emphasized that Nigerian youths must no longer be treated as symbolic participants in politics, insisting that the 2027 electoral cycle should mark a shift from token inclusion to measurable political empowerment.
“Young Nigerians have waited long enough for genuine inclusion in governance. Political parties must now move beyond rhetoric and create real structures that allow youths to participate meaningfully in leadership and decision-making,” he stated.
He further stated that the Forum was demanding clear commitments from political parties and presidential aspirants on youth inclusion, leadership succession and internal party reforms ahead of the 2027 elections.
Chukwu also stressed that access to political participation must not be determined by financial strength, warning that the high cost of nomination forms continues to exclude many capable young Nigerians from contesting elections.
“Democracy must not become a preserve for the wealthy few. We are calling for a significant reduction in nomination fees for young aspirants so that competence and service, not money, determine political opportunity,” he said.
He further stated that the Forum was pushing for stronger investment in youth employment, skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development, digital economy growth and structured empowerment programmes across the country.
On national unity, Chukwu urged Nigerian youths to resist ethnic and religious manipulation in politics, stressing that national cohesion must take precedence over divisive narratives.
“The man from Nnewi should see the man from Sokoto as his brother. Our division was taught and it can be unlearned. We are Nigerians first,” he said.
He also expressed concern over the state of public education in the country, calling for urgent intervention to address infrastructural decay and neglect in schools at all levels.
Also contributing, founder of BEN TV London and media entrepreneur and mentor, Alistair Soyode, urged Nigerian youths to move from periodic political agitation to sustained engagement within democratic institutions.
Soyode said lessons from the United Kingdom and other Western democracies show that youth inclusion is deliberately structured through political education, mentorship and early participation in governance processes.
“Young Nigerians are not merely the future of this country, they are its present strength. The question is no longer whether they should participate in politics, but whether Nigeria can move forward without their active involvement,” he stated.
He noted that in advanced democracies, young people are integrated into party structures, local governance systems and policy development frameworks that prepare them for leadership responsibilities.
Soyode further stated that Nigerian youths have already demonstrated capacity for mobilisation and civic engagement, but must now translate that energy into sustained institutional participation.
He urged young Nigerians to actively engage political parties, participate in policy discussions, contest for leadership positions and hold elected officials accountable.
“The future of Nigeria should not be decided without the voices of its largest population group. Young people must register, vote, join political parties, attend policy forums, contest positions and hold leaders accountable,” he said.
He added that discussions leading to 2027 must prioritise jobs, education, healthcare, security, entrepreneurship, technology and national unity over personality-driven politics.
At the end of the engagement, the Forum issued a 10-point communiqué calling for stronger youth inclusion in governance, reduced cost of political participation for young aspirants, expanded employment and empowerment programmes, increased youth representation in leadership structures and a review of the official youth age bracket from 18–35 to 18–45 years to reflect current economic realities.
Participants at the gathering said the future of Nigeria’s democracy will depend largely on how far the country is willing to move from token gestures to structured inclusion of young people in governance, insisting that the resolutions contained in the communiqué must not remain on paper but translated into measurable policy actions by political parties, government institutions and other stakeholders ahead of the 2027 general elections and beyond.
