SAGE Journals

The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Ahiazu Mbaise Local Branch, heartily congratulates all candidates who emerged from the various political party primaries for the 2027 State and National Assembly elections. We commend all political parties, especially those that respected the spirit of the Charter of Equity by producing candidates from blocs considered due for representation. Such commitment to fairness, inclusion, and political balance strengthens democracy, promotes peaceful coexistence, and deepens public confidence in the electoral process. We also appreciate all aspirants who conducted themselves peacefully during and after the primaries. To those who did not emerge victorious, we encourage them to remain steadfast, as leadership opportunities are not limited to one election cycle. We particularly recognize those who have consistently supported youth development, education, empowerment, and community growth, even without holding elective office. While acknowledging the...

~ 𝘋𝘰𝘯𝘞𝘪𝘴 The drums have gone silent. The banners now hang weak in the wind. Footsteps that once shook the streets in consultations now walk slowly into uncertain silence. Aspirants came with hope, with posters, promises, and persuasion. They moved from compound to compound, from elders to youths, believing that someday, somehow, their names would meet the ballot. But politics, like the harmattan wind, sometimes changes direction overnight. In Ahiazu, four men and one woman prepared for battle, yet when the curtain was lifted, the name announced was not among the contenders in the arena. And the people stood speechless. Not because consensus is evil, for the Party is supreme and discipline sustains structure, but because hearts were already invested in a democratic contest that never came. Now the questions float quietly in the air: How do we heal disappointed hearts? How do we gather wounded loyalists? How do we convince party faithfuls that tomorrow still belongs to them? For vi...

By Comr. Uchech’ukwu Wisdom O. (DonWis) The recent debate surrounding the amendment of Senate Standing Orders has once again opened an important national conversation on democracy, legislative experience, and institutional fairness in Nigeria’s parliamentary system. While every legislative institution reserves the right to regulate its internal procedures, such regulations must be guided by the broader spirit of democracy, inclusiveness, and institutional growth rather than narrow interpretations capable of excluding experienced hands from leadership participation. The argument that only senators who served consecutive immediate terms should qualify for principal leadership positions raises a critical constitutional and democratic concern. Legislative experience is not something that expires simply because a lawmaker temporarily leaves the Senate to serve in another public office. Once an individual has passed through parliamentary processes, committee systems, legislative negotiations...