By Pascal Oparada (Social Media/Tech Reporter)
Nigerians have come to the defence of the two major presidential candidates, President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar over CNN’s article labeling them old.
The report, written by CNN’s Stephanie Busari, said the two major candidates are well into their 70s.
“On first look, not much separates the two front-runners contesting Nigeria’s presidential election. Both are men in their 70s with previous experience of high-level politics. Both are from the same ethnic group. And both are Muslims from the north of the country,” CNN said.
This seems to have irked Nigerians who took to social media to flay CNN for calling them old, saying the current president of the United States of America, Donald Trump, is also in his 70s.
Career strategist, Dipo Oluwole said it seems that ageism is only reserved for African leaders and not applicable to other candidates from other advanced countries.
According to him leaders of leading economies in the world are either in the 60s or well into their 70s.
Nigerians reeled out names of candidates who vied 2016 elections in the U.S. saying the majority of them, from Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton, were advanced in age.
“I don’t know why Nigeria cannot emulate the US and provide younger candidates like Trump and Hillary,” Arike Martins said, quoting the CNN report.
“It is quite fascinating that a media house from a country whose top presidential candidates at their last general elections were almost 70 can talk this kind of hypocritical disgusting nonsense about Nigeria’s front-runners,” Olufunmilayo said on Twitter, also quoting the CCN report.
Others say that CNN has a point in the report, though, saying that the older people have refused to vacate the political space for younger men and women in Nigeria.
In 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the not too young to run bill into law. The new law provides that people from the age of 35 could vie to be president, senators, and House of Representatives while people from the age of 25 can become state lawmakers.
During the signing ceremony, Buhari urged the young people present to jettison their ambition for the 2019 elections until 2023 because he is also standing for elections.