Condemnation trails announcement of APC’s nominations forms

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By Ismail Auwal

Condemnation has trailed the announcement of the cost of the expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the 2023 general elections.

Nigerians who spoke to SAHELIAN TIMES separately said the development posed a serious threat to good governance, accountability, and the survival of democracy in the country and that it needed to be addressed immediately.

Dr. Tijjani Imam, a university lecturer, and public affairs analyst said, “It’s obvious the ruling party has upgraded itself to an ultra-capitalist status by upscaling the prices of their nomination forms without due regard for the deteriorating purchasing power of the poor masses.”

“I believe this is an insult to the poor citizens who funded APC’s initial campaign in 2015 when the party was poor as a church rat,” he added.

“I hope this serves as a wake-up call to the poor masses who gave everything to ensure the ruling party’s victory in the crucial election in 2015,” Imam said.

Adamu Garba an APC presidential said, “If we don’t come together and use our collective power to save this country from strangulation of the moneybags, we are doing a great disservice to our generation and that of the future.”

“We cannot continue to buy political offices in Nigeria, we need competent leaders to come 2023.”

Isah Garba a Senior Program Officer with the Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) accused the APC of promoting corruption and money politics.

“For those of us who work to promote youth and women’s political participation and inclusion.”

“We see this as a calculated attempt by the party’s elites to further exclude young people and women, particularly from political participation.”

Garba added that “this is a calculated and deliberate attempt by the elites, by people in power, to marginalise some segments of the society, and it is also a new attempt to promote corruption among politicians and elected officials in the country.”

The APC NEC, on Wednesday, fixed N70 million for the nomination form of its presidential aspirants. While expression of interest form is put at N30m, totaling N100m form of its presidential aspirants. 

APC members aspiring for the governorship seat are to cough out N50m. with the expression of interest form pegged at N10m while nomination form is N40m.

Senatorial candidates will pay N3 million for an expression of interest and N17 million for a nomination form, for a total of N20 million.

Aspirants for the House of Representatives will also pay N10, with an expression of interest costing N1 million and a nomination form costing N9 million. Those seeking a seat in the State House of Assembly must pay N500,000 for an expression of interest form and N1.5 million for a nomination form.

It could be recalled that as a presidential candidate in 2014, Muhammadu Buhari lamented his inability to purchase the APC nomination form.

According to reports, he took a bank loan to pay N25 million for a nomination form in 2015 and had to rely on well-wishers to raise the N45 million he needed to run in the 2019 elections.

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