AS the nation braces for the high-tide of political activities leading to the 2019 general elections, the two major political parties – the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, have, through their pricing of nomination forms for electoral candidates, set a sour tone that could reserve the impending elections to the highest bidders.

INEC

The PDP’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms are priced as follows: N12 million for President, N6m for Governor, N3.5m for Senator, N2.5m for House of Reps (HOR) and N600,000 for House of Assembly (HOA). But for the APC, which touts itself as the party for “change”, the prices are considerably higher: N45m for President, N22m for Governor, N7m for Senator, N3.85m for HOR and N850,000 for HOA. Curiously also, while the PDP reduced its prices compared to the 2015 polls when it was in power, the ruling APC increased the cost of nomination for its candidates.

Since these figures were made public, concerned Nigerians have continued to express the fear that the leading political parties have priced their electoral offices beyond the reach of the average Nigerian who wants to seek election to serve. In a country which only recently became the “poverty capital” of the world, these high costs of electoral pursuits will only restrict the political space to a few rich individuals and their financiers. It makes it easy for those who are already corruptly exposed to public offices to retain their holds on power, thus making change almost impossible.

It gives cheap political investors the opportunity to purchase these forms for occupants of plum and powerful political offices to assert themselves as future “stakeholders” if their candidates win. This form of unbridled political speculation cannot promote our touted war on corruption. There should be no reason to make nomination forms too expensive for anyone who seeks election to serve.

Moreover, the astronomical cost of nomination forms for elective political offices automatically disadvantages the young people who have been jubilating since President Buhari signed the Not Too Young To Run Act, NTYTRA into law four months ago. It opens the door of opportunity for the young with one hand and closes it with the other. It negates the upbeat atmosphere that the President himself projected after signing the Bill surrounded by young people in Aso Villa. It shuts the door in the faces of people who are too poor to run for elective offices.

If service is the main object for seeking elections, candidates should not have to pay more than N10,000 to vie for any office. Political parties should stop extorting candidates thus fuelling corruption in public office. They should develop mechanisms to raise funds for running their offices through the contributions of their members.