LP defends N30m nomination fee for Edo guber

• Abure insists his life under threat

THELabour Party ( LP), yesterday, defended the N30 million fees for the party’s nomination and expression of interest form for the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.

The leadership of the party had pegged its g governorship nomination form at N30 million as fees for aspirants interested in the party’s ticket for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

However, criticisms have trailed the development, which some members have described as insensitive. They insisted that fixing such a high amount was illadvised.

Reacting to the critics, yesterday, during a press briefing at the Secretariat of the party, the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abuere, said: “The National working Committee sat extensively, considered all the variables and put all the factors together before arriving at that amount. “We must say that the party needs a lot of funds to drive the process of electioneering. Today, no matter how you conduct the primary election, funds are required, even after elections litigations are going to arise from whatever you do.

“Litigation costs a lot of money. Even organising the primary itself is expensive. When the party was not as big as this, you could explain to people that you have no money to give; but today people believe that the party has money and when you send anybody for any assignment you must pay them adequately.

“Today, in this part of Nigeria, the majority of members of political parties don’t pay dues. People hardly support political parties, and the only source of funding for the party, as it stands today, is through the sale of nomination forms.

“Therefore, funding the party, responding to challenges in it and so on, make it imperative for us to arrive at that amount.