60m for Presidency Is Not Democracy” — Nigerian Blasts NDC Over Nomination Fees
A concerned Nigerian has criticized the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) over the high cost of its nomination forms, describing the fees as exclusionary and undemocratic.
“NDC, this is bad. Really bad.How can you call yourself a people’s party when the people cannot even afford to run for office under your platform?
“₦2.5 million for State House of Assembly.
₦6 million for House of Representatives.
₦8 million for Senate.
₦30 million for Governorship.
₦60 million for Presidency.
“This is not democracy at all. Democracy is supposed to be a government by the people, for the people, but this one is just for the elites.This is nothing but a way to stop ordinary Nigerians from ever running for office. Because tell me, how many ordinary citizens can afford this without being sponsored by some godfather who will later want to control them?A Nigerian minimum wage worker earns ₦70,000 per month. That means the cheapest form here, State House of Assembly, is almost three years of salary if that person saves every naira and spends nothing on survival.
“For House of Reps, it is over seven years of minimum wage salary.
For Senate, over nine years.
For Governorship, over thirty-five years.
For Presidency, over seventy-one years.
“What exactly are ordinary Nigerians supposed to do with this kind of system?Even in the UK, standing for Parliament requires a £500 deposit, and that deposit is refundable if the candidate gets at least 5% of the votes.But in Nigeria, a full-time minimum wage worker cannot even afford the cheapest political form after one full year of work.This is exactly why Nigerian politics keeps recycling the same rich men, godfathers, and sponsored candidates.NDC, if you are truly a people’s party, then stop pricing the people out of politics like the other political parties are doing,” the statement read.
