APC 2023: N1 Billion for South West Presidential Candidates to Purchase Forms

It will cost a total of N1 billion (one billion naira) for all the ten candidates from South West political zone to purchase their presidential forms for All Progressive Congress (APC) nomination. It costs N100m naira (about $240,000; £195,000) per candidate to purchase the APC’s nomination papers. This is quite a lot of fund and this transfer of wealth to APC treasury buttress how expensive the polity have become. The one billion naira (N1 Billion) is just for purchasing forms, when you add the rest and requisite expenses it will exceed more than N1 billion and that is an alarming transfer of wealth.

In the South-West, the ten candidates that have shown interest are Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Amosun; Boroffice; Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim; Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Global Community Church and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; Dr Akiwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank and Shina Peller, lawmaker from Oyo State.

Reducing the Cost of Running for Political Office is Essential :

The political parties are making the cost of running for political offices under their banners very expensive. The exorbitant cost for picking the forms especially with the first tier political parties especially with APC must be look into and needed to be reduced. The high prices will discourage some good candidates from not running or even make some good intentioned candidates to compromise their ethics and morality.

It will make sense for the legislative arm of the government to work with the executive to enact a law that will stipulate guidelines to checkmate excessive of the registered political parties.