A former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has urged Nigerians in their middle years to move beyond social media commentary and take more active roles in the country’s political process by contesting for elective offices.

Sani made the call in a post on X on Saturday, where he challenged citizens in their 30s, 40s, and 50s to stop limiting their political participation to online debates and instead engage directly in leadership and governance.

According to him, many elective positions across the country are now being occupied by much younger politicians, while older citizens remain vocal only on social media platforms.

He criticised recent surveys suggesting that Nigerian youths are more active on social media than in politics, describing such narratives as misleading and unhelpful to democratic growth.

The former senator stressed that real political engagement must go beyond digital activism, insisting that meaningful change requires physical involvement in party structures, grassroots mobilisation and participation in elections.

Sani wrote, “You are in your 30s, 40s or 50s, your Rep member is in his 30s and your House of Assembly member and Local Government Chairman are in their 20s. Excuse yourself from their comment section on Facebook, X and Instagram; register as a member of a political party and aspire to contest and give your people the kind of leadership you think they deserve.”

He added that portraying young Nigerians as more active on social media than in politics does little to inspire genuine political participation.

“The recent survey that suggests that Nigerian youths are more on social media than in politics is not helpful,” he said.

Sani also encouraged Nigerians who are interested in public office not to be discouraged by financial constraints, noting that many of those currently in power started their political journeys without significant resources.

“Don’t be discouraged or scared because you don’t have money to join politics. You need to hear the story of most of those you see in power today; it wasn’t an easy ride from the beginning. If they can be, so you can,” he added.

The former lawmaker’s remarks have since sparked conversations online about political participation, leadership responsibility and the role of citizens beyond social media activism.