Nigerians have continued to react to the high cost of nomination fees imposed by the two major political parties, the PDP and APC, saying this may discourage people who are qualified and have interest to vie for political offices, hence reduce participation and inclusiveness in the country. The ruling APC fixed one hundred million naira as the cost of nomination for president, governorship is #50million, Senate #20million, House of Representatives is #10million, and state House of Assembly at #2million, while the opposition PDP pegged its presidential nomination form at #40million, #21million for governorship, #3.5millon for Senate,2.5million for House of Representatives and 1.5million for the state House of Assembly.
However, the two main parties introduced concession for women and a 50% discount for young aspirants. The defence of the outrageous fees by the parties’ leadership that it will help them separate serious minded individuals from pretenders appears implausible.
This cannot be a parameter for measuring interest, seriousness and commitment to contest for elective offices. Of particular interest is the annually salary of a president, which is #30millon apart from the bogus allowance which has made governance in the country to be extraordinary expensive.
Newstalk is of opinion that the high cost of running political parties coupled with the high increase in the prices of nomination form will affect the democratic participation of aspirants, as several of them might have taken recourse to borrowing or patronising moneybags to buy the form. Where this happens, such candidate will have it in mind to recoup their money if they eventually won the election. This no doubt will make political office holders to be more corrupt and thereby making contest for politic offices to continue to be a do or die affair.
Newstalk believes that political parties should find a way to generate money to finance their party activities and shun using nomination form for such. This can be done through registration of members and this will give them the responsibility of paying dues to party so as to be able to finance the party. We equally recommend that the government should also provide grant for registered political parties in the country for them to be able to finance their activities.
In a normal circumstance, political parties should fund candidates for elections, not the other way round where candidates always finance the party. In fact, political parties can also generate money through donation by members.
Furthermore, the Newstalk posits that prices of nomination form should not be high so as to attract credible indiviuals to show interest to participate in politics. This will also give the younger generation to be more involved in politics, hence promoting sense of inclusiveness afterall, it is in the nation’s electoral law that the youth are not too young to run.
Written by Olawale Mumeen