Bullying, finance and fear of vote buying confront young candidates in 2023 election

With just weeks to go before the 2023 general election, there is a sharp drop in the number of young candidates on the ballot, even as young candidates face challenges of trust, intimidation, funding and fear of buy votes.

The Guardian has gathered that of the 15,336 candidates running in the elections, 4,398 are young people, of whom 1,899 are between 25 and 30 years old.

There is a noticeable drop in percentage from 34% in 2019 to 28.6% in 2023.

For example, in the House of Representatives, there is a drop from 27.4% in 2019 to 21.6% in 2023, while that of the National Assembly fell from 41.8% in 2019 to 35.6% in 2023. .

Apparently, political parties nominated more young candidates for state-level legislative elections than for executive or national assembly seats.

For example, the State Assembly and House of Representatives elections saw high levels of youth candidacies with 35.6% for State Assembly, 21.6% for House representatives and only 3.7% in senatorial elections.

Speaking to The Guardian, Adebonojo Ademola, who is aspiring to the House of Assembly seat in Abigi Ward, Waterside Local Government, Ogun State, lamented the refusal of residents in his constituency, noting that it might not be unrelated to being young.

"The first and main challenge I had was accepting myself. I stayed a few miles from my constituency and selling my candidacy was a big challenge, I was seen as someone who came to take them and run away.

"Because my family name or person is not popular in the constituency, it raised a lot of questions about my intentions when I went out for consultations and campaigns.

"My age is also a big deal for political gladiators. Selling myself and ideas to party leaders is like fetching water from a basket. Many of them don't are not comfortable with a young person,” he said.

Ademola, who is contesting on the Accord Party platform, argued that the challenges would have been minimal had there been unlimited access to funds.

"All these challenges would have been easier if there was so much money available. Finance is the father of all challenges. Money would have been a tool to sell my candidacy to voters, and also, to increase my popularity during campaigns.

"They don't believe I'm serious about winning. Even the young people who are supposed to support me are against the cause, because many of them think I'm too ambitious. I have. The challenges are many and these are just a few. I have decided to never get discouraged and push harderI believe I can change the narrative despite all the obstacles."

For Folarin Joseph, running for a seat in the House of Representatives, Federal Constituency 2 of Mushin, Lagos State under the Young Progressive Party (YPP), being a young candidate was no small feat.

According to him, in some cases, his volunteers were not allowed to display banners until money was paid to certain "people" who also assured them to guarantee that the banners would not be not ripped or torn.

"It is a general belief in some fields that candidates should have a good amount of money before they stand to signify their interest in running for elective office.

"Moving around the constituency comes at a cost, especially when it comes to engaging the electorate. Donations after each engagement are the norm.

"Some even make requests through calls and messages asking for financial support for immediate needs requiring urgent intervention."

He said finances were a challenge and slowed his campaign, especially at the neighborhood level.

“But on the positive side, there is still time to recover and build momentum as the election approaches.

"As the campaigns heat up, I am doing my best to remind the electorate that voting is not only their right, but also our responsibility as citizens to elect candidates who will be responsible and will serve the collective interest of the people.

"I believe that sustained advocacy leads to mass education on the rights and responsibilities of citizens and that it is crucial to elect accountable and effective leaders who will deliver on campaign promises."

Furthermore, Ishola Rauf Shina, who is vying for a Lagos State Assembly seat in the African Action Congress (AAC), lamented that the election was monetized by the older generation , which makes it difficult for the younger ones to progress.

“People who are supposed to be our supporters are always asking us for money. I classify this as systemic vote buying. Elections have been monetized by older generations,” he said.< /p>

The AAC candidate alleged that some people are there to make it difficult for younger candidates, which has slowed down their level of...