The African Action Congress (AAC), Ogun State Chapter has accused the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) of extortion following the introduction of the payment of candidate nomination fee by the political party.
The Chairman of the electoral body after a stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday in Abeokuta announced that political party candidates would pay the sum of N250,000 for chairmanship candidates. Male councillorship candidates are expected to pay N150,000 while female councillorship candidates are expected to pay N100,000.
A statement signed by the chairman of the party, Adeshina Afolabi on Saturday described the action as unacceptable and an attempt to disenfranchise their supporters and low-income earners.
He said it would discourage them from contributing their quota to the development of their constituency.
The party therefore called on the electoral body to rescind its decision in the interest of the people.
The statement read, “The African Action Congress (AAC) Ogun State Chapter vehemently rejects the candidate nomination fee introduced by the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC).
“This stance was taken immediately after the Stakeholders meeting held at the Cultural Center (Kuto, Abeokuta) on Thursday, August 8th, 2024.
“During the meeting, the OGSIEC Chairman announced that political party candidates would be required to pay a fee of Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N250,000) for Chairmanship candidates, One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira (N150,000) for male Councilors, and One Hundred Thousand Naira (N100,000) for female Councilor candidates.
“The AAC strongly condemns this extortionate measure, deeming it unacceptable and aimed at disenfranchising low-income earners who wish to contest and contribute to governing their constituency. This move sets a dangerous precedent in monetizing the electoral process in Ogun State, which has never been seen in the history of INEC or any other electoral commission in the country.
“The commission’s action will discourage modesty in the electoral process, place financial pressure on struggling candidates, and escalate the hardships faced by the populace during this period of hyperinflation under the APC-led government.
“We urge the Ogun State government to display empathy in its policies, particularly in these challenging economic times. There are alternative channels for generating Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) without resorting to extortionate measures that manipulate the electoral process.
“As a party that prioritizes the people’s interests, the AAC is committed to defending the people’s will and rejecting any policy that exacerbates their hardships. Our party chairman reaffirmed this stance, emphasizing that the AAC is a 100% pro-people party.”
