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By Adekunle Williams and Oluwatope Lawanson.

A member of the Federal House of Representatives, Mrs Kafilat Ogbara, has urged young candidates contesting for the 2027 general elections to serve as agents of positive transformation.

She also advised that they should bring innovation and accountability, if elected to political office.

Ogbara, who is also the Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development, made the call at the Ready To Run Bootcamp for young candidates of political parties under the age of 35 years in Lagos on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme, which is funded by the European Union, has the theme: “Ready to Run Bootcamp: From Aspiration to Representation”.

Ogbara, an APC chieftain, said that the young candidates should understand that being ready to run meant being ready to serve, ready to lead, ready to be accountable, and ready to make a meaningful change, because she believed that a new Nigeria was possible.

According to her, Nigeria needs fresh ideas, fresh energy, and fresh solutions at those tables, and the young candidates should not become replicas of the old political order or allow themselves to be polluted.

She urged them to go there and change it, and prayed that they would all win the elections.

She said: “Go and deliver innovation where there is stagnation, transparency where there is secrecy, accountability where there is impunity, and creativity where there is resistance to positive change.

“Sometimes, when you are trying to prove all these points, when you are trying to change the narrative, you may have issues even with your political parties.

“Learn from the successes of the older generation but have the courage and audacity to challenge their failures.”

The lawmaker, thereafter, emphasised the critical role that young candidates could play in shaping a brighter future.

Ogbara added that they must understand the constitution, the electoral framework, the legislative process, constituency engagement, political party structures, campaign management, and the ethical responsibilities that come with public office.

She said: “The political journey will test you. It will test your convictions. It will test your patience. It will test your relationships.

“There may be moments when it will even test your confidence but in those moments, you must remember why you started in the first place.

“I want to believe that most of you that are contesting elections on the ballots of 2027 elections are coming out to run out of passion, out of your belief that a new Nigeria is possible.

“As the 2027 general elections approach, you must understand your constituency, build the young election season statistics, build a competent team, and more importantly, protect your integrity, reputation, because they are your political capital.”

Ogbara said politics would present opportunities to compromise their principles for immediate advantage, however, they should know that good leadership required knowing where their lines were and having courage not to cross them.

The lawmaker said it is now time to move from aspiration to action, from participation to representation, and from promises to purposeful leadership.

She urged the South-West youths to move from voting population to a decision-making population.

The lawmaker said political parties must not be allowed to use their energy or their energy for campaigns and exclude their voices when decisions were made.

The Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Mr Lanre Arogundade, said young people must transition from being merely voting populations or campaign mobilisers to becoming decision-makers and agents of positive transformation.

Arogundade explained that politics is serious business that required rigorous preparation, deep knowledge of the electoral framework, and the courage to challenge old political orders without replicating their failures.

The executive director appreciated Yiaga Africa for sustaining the ready-to-run campaign since 2018.

He said Nigeria was fortunate to have an organisation that had kept on sustaining the drive for young persons.

Also speaking, the ADC Candidate for Lagos State House of Assembly, Mushin Constituency 2, Miss Precious Peter, said being a woman in politics presented challenges due to misogynistic attitudes and people who are resistant to female leadership.

She said: “Another thing is your age. When you are young and also a woman in politics, you don’t get a lot of people that want to listen or follow your leadership.

“That is one of most of the struggles. Then, finance also, it has not been easy because we are not in the ruling party or in the opposition party.

So, I feel like they have not given us a level playing field for us to really come out more.”

Peter said there should be more support for young women in politics, adding that measures should be put in place to regulate spending limits during election and post-election. (NAN)

Edited by Chioma Ugboma