PREPARATIONS for the 2015 elections again raise the issue of the highly monetised nature of Nigerian politics. It gets worse each political season.

Last year, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, generated N163m from selling nomination forms to governorship aspirants for the 2014 election in Anambra State. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, raked in N184m from the same exercise.

APGA’s nomination form cost N10m for men and N5m for women. PDP charged same rate of N10m for both men and women. Outrageous as these expenses were at the entry point of the gubernatorial race, candidates willingly paid. Candidates are violating the Electoral Act which pegs election expenses.

It is getting worse. PDP wants N11m from gubernatorial aspirants in 2015. PDP presidential aspirants will pay N22m; All Peoples Congress, APC, charges presidential aspirants N27.5m, and governorship aspirants N5.5m. PDP women aspirants pay nothing. Alliance for Democracy’s forms are free for all aspirants.

Section 91 (3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (amended) provides that, “The maximum election expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a Governorship election shall be two hundred million Naira (N200, 000,000).” A presidential candidate is expected to spend a maximum of N500m as election expenses.

Though Section 91 (8) of the Electoral Act excludes pre-nomination expenses from the ceilings, the scuttling of the ambition of ‘ordinary’ people is obvious. Possession of millions of Naira has become substitute for leadership qualities.

Whoever can pay gets the party’s attention, buys delegates or decides the party’s mode of selecting candidates. Those who cannot pay are excluded from participation. We still call it democracy?

Nigeria is quickly drifting to plutocracy. High costs squeeze poor people out of elections. After investing in elections, winners make recouping their investments priority while in office. It creates fertile platform for corruption. Anxiety to secure victory also promotes malpractices, especially violence.

Today’s people of means are selfish and appropriate Nigeria’s future which they alone can afford. Candidates, aside campaign expenses, pay bills of the party and campaign leaders, their children’s school fees, hospital bills, wedding and burial ceremonies.

Only money bags or those they bankroll can win elections in Nigeria. This should not be the case because the country is replete with intelligent men and women of moderate means, who can re-direct the ship of the Nigerian state.

Monetisation of politics poses dangers to our politics. Winners use state resources to offset electoral expenses. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has failed to monitor electoral expenses.

Instead of bickering among themselves, Nigerians, in their various parties, should invest their energies in instituting more democratic practices in our politics. It would be a more profitable engagement than the fixation with 2015.