Political scientists have rejected proposals for reserved legislative seats for young people and women, stressing that addressing the underlying structural barriers to their political participation provides a more lasting route to democratic inclusion before the 2027 general elections.

The scientists stated this at a conference on ‘Preparing University Youth for Nigeria’s 2027 General Elections: Civic Engagement, Electoral Integrity and Democratic Leadership’ organised by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation for Peace and Development in collaboration with the Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Abuja.

They canvassed the view during the question-and-answer session following Professor Samson Adeyinka Adeniji’s presentation of a paper highlighting the persistent under-representation of young people in political leadership, despite their growing involvement in civic engagement, election observation and digital activism.

Speaking on whether introducing reserved seats for young people would increase their political participation and representation in elected offices, a panel discussant, Dr Navuluz Sulyman, argued that the challenge confronting Nigerian youths is not the absence of opportunities but unequal access to the political process.

He maintained that reserving seats for young people runs contrary to the principles of liberal democracy, which emphasises open political competition based on merit, competence and popular support.

According to him, creating reserved seats could unintentionally portray young people as a vulnerable group requiring special political protection rather than recognising them as the country’s largest and most energetic political constituency.

Instead, Sulyman urged youths to leverage their demographic strength by registering to vote, joining political parties, building political structures and actively competing for elective offices.

He further argued that the more urgent reforms should focus on removing the financial and institutional barriers that prevent young people from participating effectively.

Indeed, high cost of nomination forms, expensive election campaigns, political godfatherism and weak internal democracy within political parties continue to shut out many qualified young aspirants.

Prof Adeniji noted that although the ‘Not Too Young To Run Act’ lowered the constitutional age requirements for contesting elective offices, legal reforms alone have not translated into greater youth representation because the financial and political obstacles remain largely intact.

He identified poverty, unemployment, electoral violence and elite domination of political parties as additional factors discouraging young Nigerians from seeking political office.

The scholars argued that lowering nomination fees, strengthening internal party democracy and expanding economic opportunities for young people would have a greater impact on youth participation than introducing reserved seats.

He also recommended increased civic education and political awareness programmes to equip young people with the knowledge, organisational skills and networks needed to compete successfully in politics.

Beyond youth participation, the conference linked inclusive governance to democratic consolidation, stressing that political systems become stronger when leadership reflects society’s diversity.

Participants similarly advocated greater political participation by women and other marginalised groups, but maintained that inclusion should be achieved by removing structural obstacles rather than creating symbolic representation.

The confab insisted that as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 elections, meaningful youth representation will depend less on constitutional quotas and more on reforms that make politics affordable, competitive and accessible.

The scholars maintained that the priority should not be to reserve political space for young Nigerians and women, but to create an electoral environment where they can compete fairly, win on merit and contribute meaningfully to democratic governance.

In her remarks on the significance of the conference, Project Manager, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation West Africa, Mrs Angela Odah, noted that as Nigeria prepares for the 2027 general elections, young people, who constitute the majority of the country’s population, have a vital role to play in promoting credible and democratic elections.

She emphasized that elections should be viewed as a process rather than a one-day event, encompassing voter registration, political party primaries, political party activities, election day, vote collation, and the declaration of results.