Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has condemned in its entirety the moves by some state governments through the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to replace Nigeria’s nascent democracy with plutocracy through the fees the electoral bodies have imposed on prospective chairmanship and councillorship aspirants as nomination and expression of interest forms.
Describing it as deliberate attempts to disenfranchise ordinary Nigerians from contesting local government elections in their states, the PRP in a statement signed by its national chairman, Alhaji Falalu Bello, and made available to Tribune Online said the Nigerian Constitution has not prescribed that Nigeria should be governed by only the rich.
Bello, while referring to the arbitrary charges by SIECs in Kano and Kaduna where N10 million and N5 million and N2 million and N600,000 were charged respectively for chairmanship and councillorship aspirants, said the PRP believes that every Nigerian, irrespective of status, has the right to participate in democratic process without being hindered by any financial constraints.
While calling on Nigerians to join in the struggle and urge those in positions of authority to prioritise people’s interests over personal gain, the party said it would continue to speak out against injustice and breach of fundamental human rights of every Nigerian.
“The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) condemns and opposes the attempt by the state governments to impose a plutocracy on the nation’s fledgling democracy through fees charged by the States Independent Electoral Commissions (SIEC’s) for nomination forms to contest local government elections nationwide.
“The party views these charges, such as N10,000,000.00 for chairmanship and N5,000,000.00 for councillorship candidates in Kano or even the N2,000,000.00 levied for chairmanship and N600,000.00 for councillorship candidates in neighbouring Kaduna State, as deliberate attempts to disenfranchise ordinary Nigerians from contesting for elections in the local governments of their states. The Constitution of Nigeria, in spirit and words, does not intend that Nigeria should be governed only by the rich.
“The PRP is shocked that the SIECs of these states have chosen to ignore the principle of equity and fairness, which is 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.
“Charging these exorbitant fees by the state for nomination forms to contest elections at local government levels amounts to denying the poor, about 98% of the population, participation in their governance. This practice will deny many good people with competence and integrity participation in their management, leaving the horizon for only rich persons or those backed by money bags or state governments who would control and continue mismanaging the resources of the local governments.
“The PRP demands that state governments such as Kano and Kaduna reverse these exorbitant fees and charge reasonable fees or zero fees for nomination forms. After all, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that conducts national and state assembly elections for the president, vice president, governors, senators, and members of the federal and state legislatures does not charge these contestants for their nominations. We cannot and should not continue to condone a system that favours only the rich and powerful at the expense of the teeming Nigerian masses.
“Furthermore, the PRP urges all states that have not yet announced their fees for nomination forms to emulate INEC by charging no fees at all. It is most unfair to subject aspiring candidates to arbitrary fees, which will lead to situations where only the rich with deep pockets can 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, inclusive of the Nigerian youth that constitute over 60% of the registered voters, may rebel against the system, and if and when they do, we should blame these plutocrats preventing ordinary Nigerians from participating in elections.
“It is our duty as a responsible political party to speak out against this injustice and demand better from our leaders, and should we not be listened to, we will have no options as an interested party but to go to court to ask whether or not the practice of using financial strength to exclude ordinary Nigerians from participating in the electoral process is not a breach of the fundamental human right of these ordinary Nigerians from participating in their governance in a plural democracy.
“We call on all Nigerians to join us in this struggle for democratic rights and demand that our leaders prioritise the interests of the people over personal gain. We will not tolerate any action that seeks to disenfranchise ordinary Nigerians and undermine the very fabric of our democracy.”
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