A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), YIAGA AFRICA, says the high number of youth voters and use of social media are some factors that will lead to youth candidates winning in the March 9 elections.
Dr Ernest Ereke, Coordinator, YIAGA AFRICA’s Centre for Legislative Engagement, disclosed this during the presentation of the report on the group’s SWOT Analysis on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Youth Candidates in the 2019 Elections.
The group presented its report on the SWOT Analysis to the media on Friday in Abuja.
Ereke said that the group deployed 37 field researchers to 34 states of the Federation to study the campaigns of 99 candidates from 36 parties sampling 334 youth candidates.
“Key findings revealed by the SWOT analysis showed that some of the strengths of youth candidates lie in the popularity of the candidates, personal leadership qualities and candidate’s visibility to voters.
“Others strengths are in youth candidates’ qualities of compassion, truth and respect.
“Some of the weaknesses include inadequate funds, non-popularity of youth candidate’s party platform, political experience, gender, religion and religious discrimination.
“Access to social media as a tool for mass communication and mobilisation and the high number of youth voters are some of the opportunities for youth candidates,’’ he said.
He said that electoral malpractices, destruction of candidates’ billboards, verbal attack and physical violence against youth candidates with strong financial war chest were identified as electoral threats.
Ereke said that youth candidates believed that discrimination and intimidation on the basis of their age or gender was a threat and lack of potential godfather also threatened their chances of success in the elections.
According to the YIAGA coordinator, the assessment also reveals that 61 per cent of Nigerians have a favourable belief in the chances of youth candidates’ winning the elections.
Ms Safiya Bichi, Senior Research Officer, YIAGA AFRICA, said that based on the findings, the group recommended that interpersonal engagements are valuable for political campaigns.
Bichi advised that for subsequent elections youth candidates should organise face-to-face meetings and adopt a door-to-door approach in their political campaigns.
She urged political parties to demonstrate commitment to youth inclusion by providing direct technical and funding support to youth candidates.
The researcher urged civil society groups to be realistic about the threats election malfeasance by opponents and negative perception of youth candidacy by elders and community leaders posed to these candidates’ campaigns.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the YIAGA AFRICA SWOT Analysis revealed that a total of 1,515 youth candidates, representing 23 per cent of all the candidates, contested for seats in National Assembly elections on Feb. 23.
The analysis showed further that youth candidates increased from 18 per cent in the 2015 House of Representatives Elections to 27.4 per cent in the 2019 House of Representatives Elections.
Youths, the report disclosed, also have the highest number on the voter register constituting 51 per cent in the 2019 Elections.
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