2023: APC explains why it pegged presidency nomination forms for ₦100m
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has given reasons for pegging its presidential nomination forms at the sum of N100m.
Remember that on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) announced that its nomination forms for the 2023 presidential ticket would be sold at N100 million.
Breaking it down, the APC said that the presidential nomination form would go for N70 million while the expression of interest form costs N30 million.
Also, the party’s governorship nomination forms was pegged at N50 million, Senate at N20 million, House of Representatives at N10 million, and State Houses of Assembly at N2 million, respectively.
The announcement of the price tags has severely been criticized by many Nigerians made many Nigerians including Adamu Garba, one one of the party’s presidential aspirants, who dropped a series of tweets to fault the development.
Justifying its decision, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka disclosed in an interview on Channels Television, Politics Today, on Wednesday evening that the APC acted on internal advice concerning the price tags on its nomination forms and took into consideration the present economic situation in the country.
Morka also dismissed the narrative that the party was only for the elite and aristocrats.
He said, “What is the current situation in the country? We still live in a country where there are people who make legitimate money.”
“The party is not for the rich. I just told you that for instance, any woman who wants to run for the office of the President is not paying the full amount. The youths as well.”
“The party advised the party. The party thinks that and made the decision that the value put on these forms are justified.”
Morka gave a breakdown of the considerations taken to determine which demographic in the party was prime beneficiaries.
“Don’t forget that some of the most special groups of citizens were granted high considerations. Either delivering the nomination forms for free in the case of women and people living with disabilities.”
“But youths who are within 25 to 50 also have the advantage of a 50 percent discount for all positions, even the office of the President. We receive that nomination form you talk about at 50%. So, they’ll pay the expression of interest, plus 50 percent of the N70m.”
Pulse reports that Morka, however, added that the party had not decided on what mode of primaries it would adopt and that the NEC would devolve into the National Working Committee (NWC) for a transitory period of 90 days.
