The leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken some flak over its recent announce­ment of the sale of nomi­nation and expression of interest forms for the Ekiti and Osun states governor­ship elections at the cost of N22.5 million.

The ruling party had, on Tuesday, through its Nation­al Secretary, Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CE­CPC), John Akpanudodehe, disclosed that while the nom­ination form would sell for N20 million, the expression of interest form would cost N2.5 million.

Akpanudodehe said the announcement followed the party’s approval of timeta­ble and schedule of activities for the Ekiti and Osun gover­norship elections.

He, however, added that female and physically chal­lenged aspirants would pay 50 per cent of the approved fees, just as he added that the party’s approved election timetable and schedule of activities for the election in the two states was in accor­dance with the provisions of the amended Electoral Act 2010 and Independent Na­tional Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines.

Reacting, a public affairs analyst, Dr. Jide Johnson, wondered why a political party would announce such a huge amount of money for nomination and expression of interest forms.

Why describing the rul­ing party’s decision as the “monetisation of the dem­ocratic space”, Johnson, who is the Director, Special Programmes, at the Nigeri­an Institute of Journalism, Ogba, in Lagos, explained that such decision would discourage individuals who can’t afford such amount.

According to him, “If a political party is pegging its nomination form at that amount, it is clear that they intend to deprive some peo­ple from participating in the process.

“Obviously, it’s not every­one who intends to be the next governor of either of the two states that can afford such amount.

“Why should the nation­al leadership of a political party be selling nomination forms in the first place?

“For me, it is against the principle of federalism. It is purely monetisation of the democratic space; cash and cash democracy.”

On his part, the national president of the socio-cultur­al group based in the Unit­ed States of America, Egbe Omo Yoruba, Dr. Durojaye Akindutire, slammed po­litical parties in Nigeria for always making sales of nomination forms a big deal.

Akindutire said: “What is it about nomination and expression of interest forms that they should cost almost N23 million?

“I don’t know what polit­ical parties have become in Nigeria, a business venture?

“How many of the aspi­rants will be able to afford such an outrageous amount of money”

“The truth of the matter is that, at the end of the day, the desperate ones among the as­pirants will go to the extent of getting loans to acquire the forms.

“The party will use this to rake in money and, in the end, they already know who they want to use.

“In Ekiti, the incumbent will do everything to install a successor, while in Osun, the incumbent will do every­thing to get a second term; so, who are they deceiving?

“We can’t get anywhere if we continue to run our de­mocracy in this manner. Sale of these forms shouldn’t be about making money.”

(Sunday Independent)

•Nation­al Secretary, Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CE­CPC), of APC, John Akpanudodehe