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By Ayo Kehinde
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has unveiled the timetable and guidelines for the 2027 general elections, pegging $60 million as the total cost for aspirants seeking its presidential ticket and also granting fee concessions to women and persons living with disabilities (PWDs).
In a statement released by its national president, Moses Cleopas, and national secretary, Ikenna Enekweizu, the party said presidential aspirants would have to pay N20 million for the expression of interest form and N40 million for the nomination form, bringing the total cost to N60 million.
He also announced fees for other elective positions, with governorship aspirants required to pay 10 million naira for the expression of interest form and 20 million naira for the nomination form.
Senate aspirants will have to pay N3 million and N5 million respectively for the two forms, while House of Representatives aspirants will pay N2 million for the expression of interest form and N4 million for the nomination form.
For positions in the state Houses of Assembly, aspirants are expected to pay N1 million for the expression of interest form and N1.5 million for the nomination form.
In a move aimed at promoting inclusion and encouraging wider participation in the political process, the NDC has announced discounts for aspiring women and people living with disabilities.
The party said female aspirants would enjoy a 50% reduction in fees across all categories, while aspirants with disabilities would pay only 25% of the approved fees.
The NDC has also released a detailed timetable for the conduct of primary elections and related activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the schedule, the sale of expression of interest forms began on May 13 and will end on May 18.
The screening and interview of aspirants will be held from May 19 to 21, while the sale of application forms will begin immediately after the screening and continue from May 21 to 23.
The party added that completed nomination forms must be submitted by May 25.
Appeals arising from the screening process will be heard on May 25 and 26, while primaries for the various elective positions are scheduled for May 27 and 28.
The presidential primary elections will be held on May 29 in Abuja.
The party further explained that aspirants seeking election to the state Houses of Assembly would be screened in their respective states, while screening for National Assembly and Presidential aspirants would take place at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
He also revealed that the governorship primaries would be conducted at the local government level.
Reaffirming its commitment to internal democracy and credible elections, the NDC said all candidates will be required to sign pledges in line with the party’s guidelines and code of conduct.
The party added that it will adopt the “open secret vote” system during the primaries to ensure transparency, fairness and credibility in the selection process.
The NDC said the measures were part of efforts to conduct transparent and credible primaries capable of producing competent candidates for the 2027 general elections.
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