Nigeria’s democracy is under threat with the undue monetisation of the process. This is In spite of the fact that the 1999 Constitution as amended and the Electoral Act have provisions to reduce the influence of money in politics; it’s limited to campaign finance, for which ceilings have been set.
Political parties have resorted to the exploitation of office seekers on their platforms through prohibitive cost of expression of interest forms. This is a contravention of the constitution and the Electoral Act regarding the role of money in politics.
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has fixed the cost of its presidential form at N100 million (expression of interest form is N30 million while the nomination form is N70 million). The governorship form is N45 million.
Senate and House of Representatives aspirants are to pay N20 million and N10 million, respectively. Presidential aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are to pay N40 million (expression of interest form is N5 million and the nomination form is N35 million). Governorship form is N21 million. For Senate, the expression of interest is N500,000 while the nomination form is N3 million. The House of Representatives expression of interest form is N500,000 while the nomination form is N2 million.
Nigerians have expressed surprise at the humongous amount, fixed by the APC and PDP for elective office seekers in the 2023 general elections. The price placed on participation is the height of political insensitivity. Nigerians would recall how in 2014, Muhammadu Buhari told Nigerians that he had to borrow N27m from his bank to buy his nomination form. The sale of the same form now at N100m indicates a 370 per cent hike.
Nigerians are wondering if the parties considered the implications of the outrageous charges to the polity. High monetary investment in electoral contests could lead to desperation, electoral malpractices and vote buying. These charges placing by the political parties will prevent them from presenting qualified candidates because only money-bags can afford to purchase the forms.
There is, therefore, the need to review this ugly trend of money politics by all stakeholders as it will not augur well for free, fair and credible elections. Reducing the influence of money in politics is to expand the space of participation by reducing nomination fees Instead of preventing visionary and promising Nigerians from running for electives positions.
Despite the consequences of monetising electioneering the trends has been growing on an alarming rate. Therefore the trends will only consolidate elite rule as well as the political exclusion of the non-elite.
The fees placed on aspirants by the APC and PDP for the forthcoming elections are a far cry from 2015 and 2019 fees which were considered too high at the time. This tells the true character of the country’s political parties which have been reduced to mere election winning machines at all cost. It also encourages politicians defecting from one party to the other in search of platforms with strong election winning opportunities.
In addition, the money-bag politicians appear to hold the belief that votes are commodities that could be bought off from the electorate and once paid for, the electorate are robbed of the power to demand accountability. Money politics is driven by the high level of poverty in the country.
With 2023 elections fast approaching the electorate expect competent and selfless politicians to salvage the country from further drift into the abyss. Money has become the deciding factor in Nigerian politics which has grave consequences on governance.
Dukawa writes from Kano via [email protected]
