PRP condemns Kano, Kaduna for charging N10 million, N2 million for local government election forms

The People’s Redemption Party (PRP) has strongly condemned the high fees charged by the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) in some states for obtaining nomination forms for local government elections.

The PRP noted that the collection of fees such as N10,000,000 for a Chairman and N5,000,000 for a councilor candidate in Kano, or the N2,000,000.00 levied on a Chairman and N600,000.00 for a councilor candidate in the neighbouring state of Kaduna are merely indirect means of disenfranchising ordinary Nigerians from participating in elections at the grassroots level.

The party urged the Kano and Kaduna State Governments to scrap the exorbitant fees and charge reasonable or no fees at all for nomination forms.

The party also called on Nigerians to support the struggle to uphold democratic principles that will bring good to its citizens.

The PRP made the contribution in a statement titled: “Do Not Turn Our Democracy Into Plutocracy,” signed by its National Chairman, Falalu Bello on Thursday.

The statement read: “The People’s Redemption Party (PRP), condemns and opposes the attempt by the state government to impose plutocracy on the fledgling democracy in the country through the fees imposed by the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) for nomination forms to contest local government elections across the country.

“The party views these levies, such as the levy of N10,000,000.00 for the position of chairman and N5,000,000.00 for councillor candidates in Kano or even the levy of N2,000,000.00 for the position of chairman and N600,000.00 for councillor candidates in neighbouring Kaduna state, as a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise ordinary citizens from participating in local government elections in their states.

“The Nigerian Constitution, in spirit and letter, does not mean that Nigeria should be ruled only by the rich.

“The PRP is appalled that the SIECs in these states have chosen to ignore the principles of equality and fairness, which are at the heart of democratic governance. The party believes that the right to participate in the electoral process is a fundamental human right that should not be denied to anyone based on their financial status.

“The state’s exorbitant fees for election candidate nomination forms at the local government level are tantamount to denying the poor, who make up around 98% of the population, the opportunity to participate in government.

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“Practices like this will prevent many good people who are competent and have integrity from participating in government, leaving only opportunities for the rich or those supported by funds or local governments who want to control and continue to mismanage local government resources.

“The PRP calls on state governments like Kano and Kaduna to scrap these exorbitant fees and charge reasonable or no fees for nomination forms. After all, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which conducts the national and state assembly elections for president, vice president, governors, senators and members of federal and state legislatures does not charge these contestants for their nominations.

“We cannot and must not continue to allow a system that only benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the vast majority of Nigerians. The PRP further urges all states that are yet to announce registration fees for nomination forms to emulate the Electoral Commission by not charging any fees at all. It is simply unfair to impose arbitrary fees on aspiring candidates, leading to a situation where only the rich with deep pockets are able to participate in the electoral process.

“The PRP believes that every Nigerian, rich or poor, has the right to participate in the democratic process without being hindered by financial constraints. We believe that democracy should be about inclusivity, not exclusivity. We warn that if the ruling class continues with this practice, ordinary Nigerians, including Nigerian youths who constitute over 60% of registered voters, may revolt against the system, and if and when they do, we must blame these plutocrats for preventing ordinary Nigerians from participating in the elections.”

“It is our duty as a responsible political party to speak out against this injustice and demand better from our leaders. If our demands are not heard, then we as stakeholders have no choice but to file a lawsuit to ask whether the practice of using financial power to exclude ordinary citizens from participating in the electoral process constitutes a violation of the fundamental human rights of these ordinary citizens to participate in their governance in a pluralistic democracy.

“We call on all Nigerians to join us in this fight for democratic rights and demand that our leaders put the interests of the people before personal gain. We will not tolerate any action that seeks to disenfranchise ordinary Nigerians and undermine the fabric of our democracy.”

PRP condemns Kano, Kaduna for charging N10m, N2m for local government election forms first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Headlines from Ripples Nigeria.