In a recent interview from 8:28 on News Central TV, Jide Ojo, political analyst, spoke on the financial burden placed on aspirants during the APC primaries, the controversy surrounding consensus arrangements, and concerns over transparency within Nigeria’s internal party processes ahead of future elections.
During the interview, Ojo stated, “If you have ₦10 million, you can buy a fairly used car that will serve you for a year.” He made the remark while criticizing the high cost of nomination and expression of interest forms paid by aspirants participating in the party primaries.
Ojo explained that many politicians spend huge amounts of money purchasing forms, only to later face disqualification or forced consensus arrangements that prevent them from contesting fairly. According to him, the financial demands placed on aspirants raise serious questions about equity and fairness within political parties.
He further noted that the Electoral Act permits consensus candidacy, but argued that the implementation should be transparent and voluntary. According to Ojo, aspirants should willingly agree to step down for a consensus candidate rather than being pressured out of the race through internal political influence.
The political analyst also criticized situations where aspirants reportedly discovered their disqualification while primaries were already ongoing. He maintained that screening processes should be completed earlier to allow aggrieved aspirants seek redress through party mechanisms before elections are conducted.
Ojo stressed that political parties should consider separating expression of interest fees from nomination fees to reduce the financial risks faced by aspirants. He argued that contestants should not lose large sums of money in situations where they are denied a fair opportunity to participate in the electoral process.
He added that competitive primaries remain important for strengthening internal democracy, allowing party members to openly test their popularity and legitimacy before emerging as candidates…..Read_More…