2027: Cost Of Nomination Forms, Others Causes Storm In APC

A fresh storm may be brewing in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the high cost of contesting elections on the party’s platform due to the steady increase of the expression of interest and nomination forms since its formation in 2014.

According to Daily Trust, the cost of APC presidential and governorship forms in 2014, ahead of the 2015 general elections, was N27.5 million and N5 million, respectively. In 2019, it increased to N45 million and N22.5 million. It, however, climbed to N100 million and N50 million in 2023, respectively.

However, party stalwarts have urged the leadership of the ruling APC to make the 2027 contest less expressive, alleging that despite raking in billions of Naira from the sale of expression of interest and nomination forms before the 2023 elections, the party has failed to give an account of how the money was spent.

In a statement on Tuesday, the former national vice chairman (North West) of the APC, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, lamented the increasing cost of contesting elections in the party.

He expressed fears that by 2027, the APC might charge N250 million for expression of interest and nomination forms for the presidency and N125 million for the governorship.

According to him, the APC is “progressively losing the little democratic credentials,” which encouraged Nigerians to expect the possibility of a progressive party emerging out of it in 2015.

But reacting swiftly, the APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, said, “The issue of cost of forms for next elections is all speculations.”

Morka, in a telephone chat, said, “That N1 was demanded doesn’t mean it will be N2 next time. It may also be that it may be reviewed downward.

“So we must wait until the party decides for us to react. So I am not going to join issues with Lukman on that because whatever he is saying is speculation.”

On his part, a Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Abuja, Kari, however, told Daily Trust that placing high fees has continued in the APC because it is the ruling party.

He also attributed it to the systematic monetization of Nigerian politics and the activities of a select few influential individuals who have hijacked the party.

“The fee for APC has been the highest because it is the ruling party. The underlying assumption is that anybody who gets APC ticket will likely get elected. It is an assumption that may be true. It may not be true,” he said.

Kari stated that if the party leadership can put obstacles on the way to political participation through this constant hiking of the fee for nomination, “you have blocked the very essence of democracy, and that is exactly what is happening. So the regime of high fees is a huge stumbling block on democracy because it stops those who cannot pay from participating.”