By George Ozalla
The Forum of National Youth Leaders of All Political Parties in Nigeria (FNYLPPN) has called on all presidential aspirants seeking the support of young Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general election to publicly commit themselves to a generational leadership transition that would see power handed over to a younger, competent and patriotic Nigerian by 2031.
The demand formed part of resolutions presented at a World Press Conference on the State of the Nation convened by the Forum on June 11, 2026, where youth leaders drawn from political parties across Nigeria spoke with one voice on issues of national security, governance and the future of youth participation in leadership.
Addressing journalists, the Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Comrade Eze Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the time had come for a sincere national conversation about the future of the country, the safety of citizens and the place of young Nigerians in leadership and governance.
He stated that the forum was speaking on behalf of millions of Nigerian youths across political, religious and ethnic divides, stressing that the concerns being raised reflected growing frustrations among young people over insecurity and their continued exclusion from key leadership positions despite their demographic strength.
On the security situation in the country, Chukwu expressed deep concern over what he described as the worsening insecurity in many parts of Nigeria. He said the continuous loss of lives to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other forms of violent crime had become unacceptable and required urgent action from all stakeholders.
He further stated that the forum strongly condemns all forms of security sabotage, whether perpetrated by criminal elements, collaborators, compromised security personnel or individuals who profit from the suffering of innocent Nigerians.
According to him, the Federal Government, security agencies, state governments, traditional institutions and community leaders must intensify efforts to restore peace and security across the nation.
The youth leader also called on social media users to avoid fuelling insecurity through the circulation of videos, photographs and threats issued by criminal groups, warning that excessive publicity often serves the objectives of those behind such attacks.
While acknowledging the constitutional right of citizens to hold government accountable, he stressed that Nigerians must be careful not to indirectly strengthen the propaganda machinery of terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal networks.
“The more we trend their activities, the more they do,” he stated.
Chukwu said the forum was particularly concerned about the future of leadership in Nigeria and the need to create a clear pathway for younger generations to assume greater responsibility in governance.
He noted that young Nigerians constitute the majority of the country’s population and remain a decisive factor in determining electoral outcomes, yet they continue to be largely underrepresented in leadership and decision-making positions.
The forum therefore called on all presidential candidates expected to seek office in 2027 to make a public commitment to facilitating a leadership transition that would allow a younger Nigerian to emerge as president in 2031.
He clarified that the demand should not be interpreted as an attempt to exclude older generations from governance or as a call for immediate transfer of power in 2027.
“Get me right, we are not calling for the exclusion of our fathers in leadership, neither are we asking for power in 2027 knowing that by now, political parties must have finished fielding their candidates. All we are asking for is a generational leadership transition in 2031 that will marry the energy and innovation of the youths with the experience and the wisdom of the elders,” he said.
The forum maintained that a deliberate and orderly generational transition would strengthen democratic governance, deepen youth participation and position Nigeria to better harness the creativity, innovation and dynamism of its youthful population while benefiting from the guidance and experience of older statesmen.
The Forum of National Youth Leaders of All Political Parties in Nigeria brings together youth leaders from political parties across the country and advocates greater youth inclusion in governance, democratic development, national unity and sustainable nation-building.
