COST OF ELECTION AND NIGERIAN YOUTHS

Elections are very important in any democratic society. In fact it is through election that the electorate elects their representatives or leaders to pilot the affairs of the state on their behalf.

Where there is no election, there is no true democracy. For one to be elected into public office in Nigeria be it president, governor, to the Senate, House of Representatives, house of assembly, etc., one must pass through an election. Except in some states where transitional chairmen were usually appointed by the state chief executives to preside over the affairs of the local government councils without an election.

Again these elective positions have been largely dominated by old generation politicians, mainly our fathers and grandfathers. Youths have no place in Nigeria election because of the high cost of election. An average Nigerian youth is in the age bracket of 30 to 40 years of age. Saving enough money to purchase just party nomination form and expression of interest form maybe very difficult, if not possible.

For instance, the two leading political parties in Nigeria did not help matters. An aspirant trying to fly the party flag for the office of the President in APC will have to pay N45 million while the one vying for the same position in PDP will pay N12 million. For governorship a person trying to fly the APC flag as its governorship aspirant will pay N22.5 million whereas it is N6 million in the PDP. The cost of nomination form and expression of interest form made it very difficult for any youth to be in better position to raise money for the purchase of party nomination form, let alone paying for the campaign expenses that run into millions.

How can an average Nigerian youth aspiring to be governor in 2019 raise N22.5 million or N6 million to buy party form to contest party primary which he/she is not sure of winning? The cost of nomination form by political parties has made nonsense of “Not Too Young to Rule Act” recently passed in Nigeria. Since minimum wage in Nigeria is N18000, there is no basis asking the party aspirants to pay such outrageous fee.

Again, both the electoral act and the constitution did not impose fee on candidate vying for an elective position. Political parties should not technically disqualify young people from contesting elective positions through prohibitive nomination forms. There is no doubt that political parties need money to run their affairs, the bulk of such money however should not come through the sale of nomination forms.