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National chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, were yesterday locked in a war of words over the latter’s presidential nomination forms pegged at N100 million.
Recall that the opposition party also pegged its presidential nomination form at N40 million earlier in the year, as the costs by both parties elicited scathing criticisms from the public.
While Ayu described the APC presidential nomination and expression of interest forms as over priced, APC accused PDP of doing same when it was in power and had no right, therefore, to condemn its price.
Noting that the high price fixed by APC portrayed the party in the image of rogues and hypocrites, Ayu said: “Nigerians can all see that the APC is: a fragmented alliance put together to capture power and inflict maximum pain on Nigerians, including their own members.
“Nigerians will recall how in 2014, Muhammadu Buhari, now President and leader of the APC, told Nigerians that he had to borrow N27m to buy his nomination form. The same man, as leader of his party, has now sanctioned the sale of the same forms at N100m! I am told that is an increase of 370 per cent.
“But in 2014, the PDP was in power and the economy was still booming. The incompetent APC Presidency has now run the economy aground, making Nigeria the “Poverty capital of the world.” How then can impoverished APC aspirants buy nominations at such prohibitively high costs? And yet, only recently he preached “equal opportunity” to them.
“By this latest insensitive action, the APC has disenfranchised thousands of her youths, and dashed the hopes of millions of Nigerian youths who applauded President Buhari when he signed the Not-Too-Young-To-Run bill into law in 2018. It is most insensitive, and mind-boggling. In fact, all those buying the N100m and N50m nomination forms should be investigated for fraud.”
The former Senate President added that unlike the APC, the PDP is a different political party.
“We are a mass movement for the Nigerian people. This is why our nomination fees are soft and democratic. When you compare us with the APC, the difference is clear. This is why we must return to power to save Nigerians from this insensitive government,” he added.
Meanwhile, the party has again extended the sale of its nomination forms to Friday, April 22
Under the reviewed timetable, the last day for the submission of already completed forms is Monday, April 25, 2022
Consequently, April 27, 28 and 29 have been slated for the screening of State House of Assembly/National Assembly, governorship and Presidential aspirants respectively while appeals on screening exercise holds on Monday, May 2, 2022.
Under the updated timetable, the 3-man ad- hoc ward congress has been fixed for Saturday, April 30, 2022 while the local government area national delegates congress will now hold on Thursday, May 5, 2022
A statement signed by PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, said all completed State Assembly Forms should be returned at the various states’ secretariat of the party.
Nomination forms: PDP had higher prices too when they were in power —APC
Responding, APC downplayed criticisms by PDP, saying the opposition party did same while they were in power because they felt that their candidates had greater chances of electoral victory.
APC National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel, while answering a question on the criticism by the PDP, said the development also presented an opportunity for youths to show their mobilization skills in the political arena.
He said: “When they (PDP) were in power, and because the chances of electoral victory were higher, they also sold their nomination forms at higher figures. Our National Working Committee NWC understands the dynamics of what it entails to have the nomination forms at such figures and what we have been able to do is to ensure that despite the prices, young people are able to get a discount, so they can be able to get a level playing ground to compete.
“But even at that, as young people, we need to be able to show our mobilization skills, that we can mobilize our friends and families for a cause and be able to also raise funds for our overall campaigns beyond the purchase of the nomination forms.”
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