Imo Udo, a former political adviser to ex-Governor Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State, has urged older politicians to take up advisory roles, allowing younger persons to vie for positions in the 2023 general election.
He said this on Monday in a press conference in Uyo, the state capital.
Udo said there are certain activities the older politicians would not be able to do, adding that youths, if given the opportunity, would champion well-coordinated development in all sectors of the economy.
He said, ”My opinion is in sync with the majority opinion that a young person should be given the opportunity to be the president and the governor. Because at a certain age, you can’t go out to inspect projects. At a certain age, you may not want to cross the river to see what is happening in the other part of the state. There should be age consideration.”
He said he was not advocating for legislation placing a restriction on the age of holding any office as that would amount to discrimination rather the aged ones should, out of volition, decide not to participate in active politics.
“The issue of age should be allowed to be determined naturally by the people. If someone is ageing, he won’t be able to move freely as Governor; there are also certain social things that he will not be able to do. Personally, there should be an age that someone would say, ‘I am older than this thing’,” he said.
Speaking on the politics of Akwa Ibom, Udo said all the numerous governorship aspirants should be subjected to a political debate so that the people will clearly choose a credible leader who would focus on human capacity development that would bring the citizens at par with the existing infrastructural development.
He added that the next government should make a deliberate effort to bring the Akwa Ibom people closer to development and bridge the gap between infrastructure and the people, regretting that the people in the state are strutting behind economically despite the physical infrastructural height attained.
When asked whether there were certain aspirants he could endorse among those so far indicating interest, Udo simply answered; “With due respect to other contenders, Rt Hon. Onofiok Akpan Luke has the capacity and the wherewithal to govern Akwa Ibom State very well.”
