Victor EzejaWhile a section of Nigerians appears to be miffed by the apparently high cost of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential, governorship, national and state assembly Expression of Interest and nomination forms, senior special assistant on media and publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu has stated that it is a source of revenue for the party.
Shehu who appeared as a guest on Channels Television SunriseDaily programme on Thursday morning said the money raised through the sale of nomination forms would be used to fund campaigns of the party.
The APC National Executive Council had approved N100 million for the presidential nomination form, N50 million for governorship, N20 million for Senate, N10 million for House of Representatives, and N2 million for State Assembly. Female aspirants and people with disabilities were offered incentives of obtaining the nomination forms for free, while youths of 35 years and below are to purchase the forms at 25 per cent of prescribed fees for each position.
So far, about 24 aspirants have purchased the presidential nomination form which is about N2.4 billion. Shehu said some of the aspirants had patriotic groups that helped to raise money for the nomination forms for them.
Responding to calls for President Buhari to launch an investigation into how the aspirants got their money for the nomination forms, given the harsh economic realities in the country, the media aide said such would be a destructive move on the side of the party. He argued that the president taking such a step is tantamount to causing commotion and eliminating some aspirants from the race, which according to him, will not augur well for the party.
“To ask the president to launch an investigation, where does that take us to? I don’t think that is the right way to go,” the president’s media aide stated.
Shehu who is also a veteran journalist, said civil society organisations, anti-corruption agencies and the media should take up the challenge and investigate how aspirants raised the money they used in purchasing the nomination forms.
“This sort of scrutiny is largely up to the civil society, and you the media. Ask questions, go to them.” he added.
Earlier, Secretary general, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Willy Ezugwu, called for an investigation to be carried out on how all the aspirants managed to raise the money they used in procuring the nomination forms.
He said the CSOs are doing what they have to do to let Nigerians know what they have to know regarding the electioneering process.
Ezugwu who frowned at political appointees indicating interest in running for elective positions and wanting to remain in office, said, ” It is like robbing Peter to pay Paul, let everyone be on a level playing ground.
“They have to be investigated not only by resigning because we need to know the source of their fund for the nomination forms,” Ezugwu stated.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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