Nigeria’s main political parties are charging eye-
watering fees from election hopefuls, in a move
condemned as undemocratic and a breeding
ground for high-level cronyism and corruption.
Supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan
pooled their resources to stump up the 22 million
naira (132,000 dollars) to buy his nomination
form from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP).
The main opposition All Progressives Congress
(APC) is asking for 27.5 million naira, forcing one
prospective candidate, former military ruler
Muhammadu Buhari, to take out a bank loan.
For governorship posts, the PDP is asking for 11
million naira while the APC wants 10 million naira
— all before anyone is even chosen to run at the
elections next year.
Candidates for parliamentary elections are also
having to pay huge sums of cash, far outstripping
the fees charged elsewhere in West Africa.
Political and legal analysts say the exorbitant
rates in Nigeria are illegal, discourage popular
participation in the electoral process and
consolidate power among the wealthy elite.
“The incredible amount of money charged by
political parties for nomination forms only reflects
the dangerous connection between politics and
big business and the disconnect it fosters on the
silent majority,” said Eneruvie Enakoko, formerly
of the Transition Monitoring Group of non-profit
organisations promoting democratic values.
High fees for nomination force aspiring candidates
without huge financial means to raise money from
super-rich backers, who will then expect pay-
back if they are voted in, he added.
“If the candidate eventually gets the nomination
and wins the election, he feels indebted and
obligated to that tiny percentage of the
population and his loyalty will be to those people
and not to the rest of the populace or the silent
majority who have no voice,” he told AFP.
“It is a dangerous and vicious cycle because the
candidate after getting elected cannot afford to
forget where he got the money to bankroll his
election.”
– ‘Moneybags and godfathers’ –
Under the military dictator Ibrahim Babangida
(1985-1993), two political parties were founded
and funded by government, the National
Republican Convention and Social Democratic
Party.
But since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999,
the government has stopped direct funding of
political parties, forcing them to look for other
ways to raise money.
While the nexus of politicians, wealthy individuals
and big business is not unique to Nigeria, the
phenomenon makes it less likely that the
country’s catalogue of problems are tackled.
Nigeria may be Africa’s biggest economy and
leading oil producer but it ranks low on the global
scale for social development indicators such as
access to education and healthcare.
Some 61.2 percent of Nigerians were living on $1
a day or less in 2009-10, according to the last
available government figures on living standards,
released in 2012.
Nigeria is also blighted by endemic graft,
particularly in the huge public sector, and was
ranked 144th out of 177 countries in
Transparency International’s Corruption
Perceptions Index 2013.
For Dapo Thomas, of Lagos State University, the
exorbitant fees skew the political system,
furthering a culture of patronage and keeping out
poorer, but perhaps more qualified,
administrators.
“It allows the moneybags and godfathers to
dominate the political scene,” he said.
“If somebody of Buhari’s calibre could not afford
27.5 million naira without taking a loan from the
bank, who else can afford it?”
– ‘Unwholesome and undemocratic’ –
Lagos lawyer Femi Falana said charging for
nomination by both Nigeria’s Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), which
oversees elections, and political parties was
against the law.
Debo Adeniran, of the Coalition Against Corrupt
Leaders pressure group, described charging as
“unwholesome” and “undemocratic” but INEC
maintained that it was powerless to act.
The electoral body cannot stop parties from
collecting election fees, said INEC spokesman
Kayode Idowu, but expressed concern about the
trend.
“On no account should eligible Nigerians be
denied the rights to participate in the electoral
process. Not even money,” he said.
The electoral body will continue to monitor the
finances of the parties while it had also set limits
on campaign spending, he added.
A presidential candidate cannot spend above one
billion naira, a governorship hopeful 200 million
naira, a politician running for the senate 40 million
and 10 million for the lower House of
Representatives.
Parties are also not allowed to seek external
funding to safeguard “the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the nation”, said Idowu.
“All these measures are in place to ensure popular
participation as well as preserve the integrity of
the electoral system,” he added.

This story first appeared here www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/want-run-president-nigeria-132000/