The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) recently announced upward review of its nomination forms. Its announcement has drawn a lot of flak from Nigerians. Mostly condemned is the Presidential form pegged at N45.5m. Assistant Editor, CHINWE MADUAGWU, writes on the reactions of some Nigerians on the issues.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) recently reviewed and revised the cost of the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the different elective offices in the upcoming 2019. In the upward review, the Forms for the different office have been pegged as follows: House of Assembly – N1.1m, House of Rep. – N3.8m, Senate – N8.5m, Governor – N22.5m and President – N45.5m.
These are against the 2014 rates of N550, 000, N2.2m, N3.3m, N5.5m and N27.5m, respectively.
For a political party that came to power purporting to fight corruption, many Nigerians seem be at a loss on how to reconcile the cost of obtaining forms for individuals wanting to serve their nations. Many are also wondering how a government that recently signed a not-too-young-to- run law, to encourage young ones to participate in the next general elections could come up with such outrageous figures for Expression of Interest and Nomination form.
Most confounding to many, is the Presidential nomination form which the APC leaders in their wisdom pegged at a whooping N45.5 million.
Even though the President has raised an alarm that he cannot afford the form being a salary earner, the opinion in some quarters is that this is a ploy by the party to shut out any challenge to Buhari’s return in 2019.
The Next Edition spoke to some people on the issue.
Mr. Sam John, a businessman, believes the idea behind the exorbitant sum just to get a form is “outrageous.” He posits that “parties with preferred candidates do such things so as to scare people away,” describing it as “impunity.”
On how the young ones would be affected, Mr. John says; “The Not- too- young- to-run bill won’t work in the more established parties like PDP and APC which have structures. It costs money to establish structures and unless and until members pay dues and the structures established by the paying members, they will have no voice within the established parties. In these parties, there is never internal democracy. Certainly, no civil servant can ever dream of being part of the presidential race.”
On Buhari’s claim that he cannot afford the cost of the nomination form, Mr. John says; “that Buhari cannot afford N45.5 million is an APC narrative to portray Buhari as a clean man who does not steal. If Buhari is that modest and poor, how come his jobless son could own and crash a motorbike worth N56 million? That, in itself, even shows that he is not even in charge of his immediate family.”
For Mr. Fred Chukwuelobe, a Media Consultant, the decision is simply an encouragement for corruption to thrive. His words; “it encourages corruption. If I pick nomination form to run for such an officer to serve the people, the first thing I’d do, if I win, is to recover my money. From where? The public till. Then I’d recover the interest, steal more to use in helping those who don’t have money, but who I want to be in different political offices, as I build and sustain my structure.”
He also sees it as a sure way of discouraging the youths. “It is the most effective way of stopping the youths who have the idea, the energy and the zeal to serve and make a difference, but who are stopped because they can’t afford N45.5 million to buy nomination forms. Even if they pull money together to purchase for someone, it will be an investment, which will be repaid one way or another. The corruption circle goes on.”
Mr. Chukwuelobe is not convinced of the President’s sincerity in crying out over the cost of the presidential form. “I don’t believe him. I’m not sure he believes himself. He didn’t afford the form that brought him into office and “some people bought it for him?” Where are those people now? I think it’s ludicrous for anyone to discuss this in the first place. It’s not important and will not make him the anti-corruption czar he rode on to office.
“Then going by recent elections, vote buying is going to be the face of the 2019 elections, no doubt about it. People are hungry and angry. A lot of them would sell their votes just to survive, believing too that their votes won’t count because the elections “will be rigged after all”. Politicians are desperate and are stock pilling cash. It’s sad. But it will happen.”
He speaks further; “I think voting by delegates should be used to decide who goes to contest. Forms should be relatively free. Using money to weed potential candidates is not okay by me. There are many people who will make good leaders, but are encumbered by lack of funds to prosecute the elections. I suggest we use ideas, pedigree as a barometer to measuring quality candidates instead of using money to disenfranchise them. Otherwise, politics remains for money bags many of whom have made their money through questionable means. It encourages looting and corruption both of which stifle innovation, skills and development.”
Mr. Toye Fawole, a senior journalist is of the view that “the N45 million APC presidential form portends grave danger.” In his opinion, “the APC machinery at the top – I mean the national EXCO – is designed to ensure that no one challenges the Buhari Presidential ticket. That being the case, the outrageous N45 million ticket is part of the ploy to scare prospective aspirants away from vying. That is for the party internally.
“ It also signals, or confirms the speculation that in 2019, APC will not so much bother to rig but buy votes. With N45m, the not-too-young-to-run thing now becomes not-old-enough-to run or not-rich-enough-to-run. For politics, the door has been glued shut against the poor, apart from getting their PVC and waiting for their votes to be bought.”
On whether the PVC’s will count in the 2019, Mr. Fawole says; “I am very sure it will count. Only that they will be bought. It is going to be money. The election will be won ‘cashly.’ More and more, politicians are beginning to fear the courts, so brigandage and manipulations will be reduced in favour of vote-buying. 10,000,000 votes x N10,000 will only cost N100 Billion. How much is that for these politicians? With the volume of money in their possession, in a nation where people are hungry, people will sell.”
Reacting to President Buhari’s comments that he cannot afford the nomination form as a salary owner, he says; “the claim of PMB not being able to afford the form serves only to disabuse the mind of critics that PMB doesn’t have a good sense of humour,” and comparing the APC’s N45.5m and PDP’s N12m, he says; “For the PDP N12 million, the young ones or technocrats can easily pool resources to gather that.”
READ ALSO: 2019: Why we paid N45m APC nomination form for Buhari – Group
Chief Goddy Uwazurike, a legal practitioner and former President, Aka Ikenga, also thinks the figure is outrageous. “Remember that this is a regime of change from the extravagant PDP to the frugal one. The humongous figures presented by the ruling party is a clear indication that this ruling party and the people are not on the same wavelength. People are complaining of hardship and the ruling party is showing us that money is not the problem. Rather it is how to lavish it. In a simple language, a man who has the brain power, the experience and pace has no business vying under APC because the money to purchase the form is not there,” he points out.
Mr. Tony Maduagwu, an architect, and by all definitions, a youth, says; “The president only accented to the not-too-young-to-run bill to score a political point not that he really cares or favours the idea. That can be proven by the huge fees aspirants are asked to pay, not just for the presidential form, but for the others. The huge fee is an obvious irony to accenting to the bill.
“The young folks understandably may not be able to afford such and that automatically puts them at a disadvantaged situation. APC and what ever they represent, is a colossal mistake that shouldn’t repeat.”
While Nigerians are still trying to take in the import of the cost of obtaining the nomination forms as pegged by the ruling party, especially the Presidential form, a pro- Buhari group, the Consolidation Ambassadors Network (NCAN), on Wednesday obtained the nomination form for the President, perhaps foreclosing any chance of a downward review of the cost by the party and effectively shutting many others who would have challenged him.
It may be recalled that President Buhari, had at a forum earlier in the year jokingly told the youths not to aspire for the Presidency in 2019, until he had had his second term in office. Perhaps he was not joking and what his party has done is simply to put into effect his pronouncement.
