The hope of the youth who are aspiring for various political offices in 2023 may have been dashed with the bogus fees introduced by the two major political parties in the country – the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). TOPE SUNDAY takes a look at the scenario.
Nigerian youths through various advocacies have shown commitment and readiness to take over the mantle of leadership in 2023. Aside from this, they constitute 16.8 per cent of the country’s population.
According to reports, Nigeria’s population is around 200 million people with an annual population growth of 2.61 percent. Also, in her article; “Why we should drive it home for the Nigerian youth’’, Joyce Daniels, argued that over 33.6 million (16.8 percent) Nigerians are regarded as youths aged between 15 and 35 years. According to her, about 43.69 percent of Nigeria’s total population is aged 0 to 14 in 2019, arguing that in the nearest future, the youth will increasingly form the bulk of the country’s population as children grow older into young adults.
Are the youth ready?
In a recent interview with Blueprint Weekend, the Nigerian Youth Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Raymond Edoh, re-echoed the readiness of the youth for elective position, saying many youths are ready to take up the mantle of leadership in the country and described them as the most educated.
Edoh, who is also the secretary-general, Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC), noted that youth are the backbone of the country, but admitted that finances may be the only factor that could prevent them from contesting elections.
He said: “The youth are the most educated, so if anyone is saying that the youth are not ready to occupy positions of authority, then he’s wrong. I think the only part I will agree with is the financial challenge in contesting political offices. We don’t have the money to spend on campaigns for different elective offices. But my happiness is one, if you observe under the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for the first time in the history of this country, a lot of people who don’t have money, a lot of youths, a lot of poor people, who are nobody, who have no name at all, were able to get themselves into various political positions, unlike previous administrations that we had to spend a whole lot of money. I can assure you somebody like me, trusts me I can contest a position without spending money and I will win’’.
The nomination fees
Despite the readiness of the youth, the nominations fees of the two major political parties may be an albatross for the realisation of their dream of getting elected in 2023. Going by the list of those who have declared their intentions to run for various elective offices, the older and wealthy politicians are topping.
The governing All Progressives Congress (APC) which presidential primary election would be held between Monday, May 30, and Wednesday, June 1, pegged its Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for presidential candidates at N100 million and set the Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for governors at N50 million.
For senators, it would sell forms for N20 million, House of Representatives forms cost N10 million, while the House of Assembly forms are set at N2 million.
According to its national publicity secretary, Mr. Felix Morka, concessions and discounts are given to women, people living with disability and youths on the cost of forms.
Though the PDP’s nomination form is not as expensive as that of APC, it also pegged its presidential nomination form at N35 million, while youths aged between 25 and 30 will get 50 percent discount on the nomination form fees.
According to its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party’s national executive committee (NEC), has approved a 50% reduction in nomination fees for youths aged 25 to 30 years for various elective positions.
“The following amounts for the forms were approved by NEC: State House of Assembly – Expression of Interest – N100,000; Nomination Form – N500,000; (ii) House of Representatives – Expression of Interest – N500,000; Nomination Form N2,000,000; (iii) Senate – Expression of Interest – N500,000; Nomination Form N3,000,000; (iv) Governorship – Expression of Interest – N1,000,000; Nomination Form – N20,000,000; (v) President – Expression of Interest – N5,000,000; Nomination Form – N35,000,000,” he said.
No to youth aspirations?
However, the deputy national youth leader, Young Progressives Party (YPP), Comrade Gbenga Owoyombo, said some political parties do not consider the aspiration of the youth and called on the aspiring youths to join youth friendly political parties where their aspirations and the political well-being will be considered.
Owoyombo said: “Some of the political parties do not belong to the youths. The fees for their nomination forms are too outrageous. It is in this wise that I am calling on the youth that we should galvanise ourselves and belong to a party that carries out nomenclature. My party, YPP, sells party nomination forms moderately, while some of the parties are selling the presidential nomination form at an outrageous price’’.
Buttressing Owoyombo’s submission, the president of the Nigerian Youth Council (NYC), Comrade Blessing A. Akinlosotu, lamented that both the APC and PDP did not consider the younger generation with the bogus nomination fees, arguing that it is one of the ways to shut door against the youth ahead of 2023.
Akinlosotu, who spoke with Blueprint Weekend, said: “The truth is that the major political parties in this country have not really considered the younger generation. The nomination fee is absurd. It is uncalled for, and we believe that they intentionally want to do it that way so that they can shut doors against the larger populations of the youth, who constitute 75% of the entire population in this country.
“But I’m very sure that the youth also are looking at what to do; to see that one of our own eventually emerges. Yes, I learnt that some of the political parties have sliced the fees by half, but to be honest, it is still bogus.
The NYC president, who is also an advocate of 30 percent affirmative action for the youth in 2023, however, called for equal treatment for the youth as extended to women politicians.
“We want to enjoy the same leverage that women enjoy. If a woman can be given a free form in these major political parties, definitely the youth ought to be given the same leverage, and the same opportunity. So, I think we have not gotten there yet.
Youth Parliament speaker differs
But speaking with this reporter, the speaker of the Nigerian Youth Parliament (4th Assembly), Ayodele Obe, said politics is not free anywhere in the world, and gave a nod to the fees introduced by the major political parties in the country, arguing that the fees would ward off the unserious elements within the parties.
“I will say some of the parties have done well by slashing the nomination fees by half. At least, we know that anywhere in the world, politics is expensive and it is for serious minded people. That is why I subscribe to the fact that some things must be paid or some amounts to be paid so as to ward off unserious elements from the party or from those disturbing the process,” he said.
