A former member of the House of Representatives, Moshood Mustapha, has advised old politicians who are above 65 years of age to shelve their ambition of contesting for elective offices in Nigeria.

Answering questions from reporters in Ilorin, Kwara State, at a special prayer organised to commemorate his 60th birthday on Saturday, Mustapha said the old generation of politicians should retire and leave the stage for the young ones.

Mustapha, who was a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Kwara State in the 2019 election, represented Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency of Kwara State in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015.

When asked about his next ambition, he said he would no longer seek elective office when he clocks 65 years of age.

Mustapha said it was time to allow young people to lead while people of his age and generation should offer guidance and direction.

He said, “65 years is old age. Even judges retire at 65 years, civil servants retire at 60. What are we doing? This population is for younger generation. We have young people more than old people. So, if we continue to remain on board until we die, when will it be the turn of the young people?

“Let the young men take charge and let us be in the background and watch them; give them advice and admonish them and it would be a better society. As we used to say, tomorrow is to the youth and tomorrow has come today.

“I’m going to take a back seat. I want to see how we can actually achieve progress in Kwara State.”

Mustapha disclosed that part of his plans was to become a community leader and statesman, who would only focus on helping the needy and vulnerable people in society.

 “I want to be a community leader. I want to retire to Ilorin. I told my children that in the next 10 years, I don’t want to run around again. At 70, I don’t want to be in Abuja or Lagos. I want to be in Ilorin, sit down, listen to people and try to help them. That is my desire and prayer,” he said.

Dignitaries at the occasion, who cut across political parties, included a former governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfattah Ahmed; a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly and Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council, Prof Ali Ahmad; Mutawalin of Ilorin,  Dr Alimi Abdulrazaq; Dan Iyan of Ilorin, Alhaji Kale Kawu; former Kwara State Chairman of PDP,  Kola Shitu; and a former Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin, among others.