Michael Onwuka (Enugu)
Reactions have continued to trail the cost of presidential and governorship expression of interest and nomination forms ahead of the 2023 general elections.
A governorship aspirant in Enugu State on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Mr Chukwunonso Ogbe, says the high cost of nomination forms by political parties will lead to political monopoly.
Ogbe said this on Thursday in an interview with Ikengaonline in Enugu.
Recall that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had pegged its presidential expression of interest and nomination forms at N100 million while that of governorship is N50 million.
The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential expression of interest and nomination forms are sold at N40million while that of governorship is N21million.
Also, APGA’s presidential expression of interest and nomination forms are sold at N29 million while the governorship expression of interest and nomination forms are sold at N15 million.
Meanwhile, Ogbe described the situation as discriminatory, adding that it would exclude interested and competent aspirants who would not be able to raise such hefty amounts of money.
According to him, the consequences would be disastrous for the polity as men of modest means who yearn for good governance are automatically excluded.
He said that the situation was fallout of the de-registration of political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“When INEC deregistered 74 political parties on February 6, 2020, some of us knew what the effect of that decision would be.
“Today, we have fewer political parties in Nigeria with the attendant political monopoly being exhibited by the remaining parties to our detriment,” he said.
Ogbe, however, expressed optimism that Nigerians would overcome whatever situation that the development had thrown at them.
Also, the President, Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Enugu, Mr. Olu Omotayo, described the development as a subtle attack on democracy.
Omotayo said that the prevailing circumstance had placed a moral burden on INEC, adding that the electoral umpire must address the situation by further amendments of the Electoral Act.
According to him, costs of expression of interest and nomination forms needed to be subjected to the control of the popular masses as done in other climes.
“The Electoral Act stipulates limits of expenditures that political parties or candidates should not exceed during political campaigns.
“This recent development has made it necessary for the Electoral Act to be further amended to reflect the limit that expression of interest and nomination forms should not exceed,” he said.
Omotayo said that Nigerians needed to understand that they had two strong political parties whose control must not be left in the hands of individuals.
“The political parties should be subjected to a process where INEC and the people will control them. You do not deny people the opportunity to aspire for leadership simply because they do not have money,” Omotayo said.
