PDP fixes N20m nomination fee for Kogi, Bayelsa gov polls

TRACKING >>The national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has fixed a N20 million fee for aspirants intending to contest the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

The N20 million is exclusive of the mandatory Expression of Interest fee of N1 million for every aspirant.

Briefing newsmen shortly after the party’s emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, however clarified that nominations for female aspirants remained free.

The PDP charged its governorship aspirants in the 2019 elections only N5 million.

Defending the upward review in nomination fees, Ologbondiyan attributed the development to the rising cost of printing the various electoral materials, high cost of conducting primary elections and other logistics.

Sale of nomination forms for the two states will commence from June 24 to July 24, 2019; while submission deadline is July 31.

Screening for aspirants for the election in the two states will come up on August 19, while the screening appeal panel will sit and decide cases on August 21.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed November 16, 2019 for the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

Speaking during the NEC meeting, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the June 11 National Assembly leadership election.

According to him, “PDP as the main opposition party was very uncomfortable that the level of corruption that preceded the emergence of the leadership is capable of undermining the desired robust legislative activities.

“Having ‘purchased’ the leadership of the parliament, we expect the cabals to now fully take over and dictate the show at the legislature.

“We have even seen the first sign of what is to come when the APC group in the Senate killed a motion to debate the June 12 speech of the imperial President.

“Only a conquered parliament with credibility challenge can shy away from discussing a major address of a President just sworn into office, but that is a sign of what is to come when choosing legislative leadership is heavily monetized by a regime that claims to be fighting corruption.

“The bazar that took place during the election of National Assembly leaders clearly gives a picture of the anti-corruption status and how the APC has become home for looters.

“Just last week, Nigerians witnessed how some corruption charges involving APC chieftains were withdrawn from the EFCC and handed over to the Attorney General for final dropping”.

The party chair expressed disappointment with some of PDP members in the National Assembly who openly endorsed the choices of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

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“Party loyalty demands that you stick to your party at any given situation. When personal interests clash with party interests, personal interests should drown into that of the party, that’s what real democrats are expected to do,” he said.

Secondus also deplored the security situation in the country, particularly the ravages of the Boko Haram insurgents in the Northeast and banditry, kidnapping and other organised crimes in different parts of the country.

The party chair said, “In the area of security, as you all are very much aware, the threatening security situation in the country is not abating, rather it’s getting worse by the day.

“In fact, the hopelessness in the security situation is underlined in the recent statement of the military hierarchy early this week trying to blame the soldiers for the continued Boko Haram incursions. This is after they had severally declared the Boko Haram sect to be technically defeated.

“The killing of soldiers and civilians by Boko Haram terrorists in the North East and the bandits in the North West has continued unabated.

“A few weeks ago, angry youths in Katsina, the home state of the President, had to dump the bodies of 18 persons killed by the bandits in government house for the government to bury and taste the pain of burying.

“How else can a people whose government cannot provide basic things like security demonstrate their anger and frustrations.

The truth remains that under the watch of President Buhari and APC, Nigeria and her citizens have been degraded and people are no longer proud of their country”.