APC, PDP, LP, Pocket N2.3bn From Edo, Ondo Guber Aspirants
With the race for the government houses in Edo and Ondo states advancing, the three leading political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) have earned N2.284 billion from sales of Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms to their aspirants who are squaring up in primaries ahead of the forthcoming off-cycle governorship elections.
A breakdown of the earnings by the parties shows aspirants in Edo state across the three paid a total of N1.245 billion while those from Ondo paid N1.039 billion.
Checks by InsideBusinessNG in Edo revealed that APC made N600m from the sale of Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms to 12 aspirants at the rates of N10 million for the expression of interest form and N40 million for the nomination form.
The 12 APC aspirants that bought the forms are Clem Agba, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Lucky Imasuen, Hon Anamero Dekeri, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Gideon Ikhine, Col. David Imuse (Rtd), Prof Oserhiemen Osunbor, Blessing Agbohmere, Hon Dennis Idahosa, Hon Emmanuel Momoh, and Ernest Afolabi.
PDP on the other hand earned N375 million from the sale of Nomination and Expression of Interest (EOI) Forms to 11 aspirants.
The party pegged Nomination Forms at N30 million per aspirant and the Expression of Interest (EOI) form at N5 million, the EOI form is however free for female aspirants as well as Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
PDP has two female aspirants who paid N30 million each for their nomination forms having been exempted from paying for the EoI forms as directed by the party.
The 11 aspirants are the recently impeached Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu; former Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc, Asue Ighodalo; former House of Reps member representing Oredo Federal constituency at the National Assembly, Engr. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama; daughter of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Omosede Gabriella Igbinedion; Anselm Usiose Ojezua; Felix Akhabue, Martin Uhomoibhi, Umoru Hadizat, Balogun Sunday, Osaro Onaiwu, and Arthur Esene.
For the Labour Party in Edo state, its aspirants bought the EoI form for N5 million and paid N25 million for the Nomination form.
In total, nine aspirants of the LP bought the forms at the flat rate of N30 million each, amounting to N270 million despite their appeal to the National Working Committee (NWC) to reduce the cost in line with the principles and public perception of the party.
The 9 LP aspirants are: Kenneth Imasuagbon, Olumide Akpata, Sam Eromosele Eboh, Angela Enimien Aburime Asom, Abegbe Ernest Osabhuohien, Blessing Akele, Loretta Oduware Ogboroko, Sergius Ogun, and Tom Iseghohi.
In Ondo State, APC raked about N720 million from sales of Expression of Interest (EoI) and Nomination Forms to 16 aspirants at the rate of N10 million for EoI and N40 million for Nomination forms, earning N50 million from each of them.
It would have been N800 million but for the waiver given to aspirants who are female and PWDs.
While 14 male aspirants picked the forms for N50 million each, two female aspirants paid N10 million each for only the Expression of Interest Form.
They are Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa; the Senator representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim; Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olusola Oke; former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Francis Faduyile; Funmi Waheed-Adekojo and the APC National Vice Chairman (South-West), Isaac Kekemeke.
Others are Soji Ehinlanwo, Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Adewale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema, Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide, Morayo Lebi, Garvey Oladiran Iyanjan, and Ifeoluwa Oyedele.
The Ondo PDP harvested N259 million from the sale of Nomination and Expression of Interest forms to seven governorship aspirants in the State.
The party pegged its Nomination Form at N30m; Expression of Interest Form, at N5m, and Party Rebranding Fee, at N1m and also collected N1m as Secretariat Charges.
However, the PDP made the Expression of Interest Form free for female aspirants and those with disabilities.
The seven PDP aspirants are a former deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi; erstwhile general secretary of Afenifere, Sola Ebiseni; John Ola Mafo; Bamidele Akingboye; Adeolu Akinwumi; Bosun Arebuwa and Kolade Akinjo.
For the Ondo State Labour Party, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh told InsideBusinessNG that just like Edo, the party pegged its Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms at N30m, adding that while the sales of forms are still ongoing, two aspirants have bought their forms for the said amount and the party still expects more to turn up.
It then means that LP has so far made N60m from the two aspirants as Ifoh stated that the names of the aspirants will be published in due time and a date for the shadow election will be fixed within the time frame given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
High cost of nomination forms and good governance in Nigeria
The former National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh, said accruals from party forms ordinarily are meant for the running of the party affairs, but noted that the party administrators have abused it. He added that the exorbitant fees have left many political parties at the mercy of the rich stakeholders who are in government to recoup money spent during electioneering.
“The money generated by selling nomination forms ordinarily is for the funding of the party. Apart from membership dues, the parties are supposed to raise money to run their operations from this money. This is to stop the idea of the party being dependent on individuals for survival.
“However, the parties have not done that, the administrators of the party do not use the money raised judiciously. We now have a situation where immediately after the election, the parties are broke. So, it has not done much for democracy”.
“And for good governance, it’s making the parties prone to hijack by the money bags, especially governors and rich stakeholders. If political parties that charge exorbitantly for nomination fees to be strong and financially independent are now at the mercy of those financiers, it makes it impossible for such parties to have a role in governance.
“More often than not, the parties in Nigeria don’t have any right or any say in governance, in controlling the people who got elected on their platforms. The people who paid the high fees are now going into government to get back what they paid to the party and what they paid to the people who elected them.
“So, for us to make governance corruption-free, we have to make it unattractive and that means we have to bring down the cost of the nomination fees to the barest minimum. By so doing, the people elected will now feel they owe it to people, to work for the people of Nigeria and not a way of getting back what they have spent.” Metuh said.
Also speaking, a member of Nigeria Civil Society Organisations, Andrew Enantomhen, said the high cost denies young people access to governance and appealed to political parties to reduce it to encourage competency.
“The high cost of nomination fees denies young people who have the potential and competence to be able to deliver on good governance access to government to be able to proffer solutions to problems ravaging the country. When you make accessing governance too expensive, it makes it difficult for people to fall in love with government ideas, and they get discouraged.
“The only solution is for political parties to crash the price of purchasing forms.
“Also, I encourage young people to embrace party politics. If you do that, it will be easier for you to penetrate the government’s activities. By party politics, I mean political party structure. Let’s take PDP for instance, it has state chairmen. Under state chairmen, we have local government chairmen excos and also ward excos. That’s party structure, so if you enter politics through that, it will be easier for you to explore and bring to bear your potential.
“The advantage of joining through such a structure is that you will have potential sponsors, the community can even send you to go and represent them and everybody will contribute. In that case, you are responsible to them because they have collectively sent you on an errand to go and represent them and all they expect is dividends of democracy.
“I would still love to add that political parties should see how to encourage young people to join politics by reducing the price of purchasing of forms,” Enantomhen stated.