The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, on Wednesday expressed its disappointment over the mass purchase of expensive nomination forms by politicians ahead of the 2023 elections.
Mr Ibrahim Zikrullahi, Executive Director of the centre, a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja, said that the mass purchase of forms for the presidential race was a mockery of the office.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the fee for the forms for presidential aspirants under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was pegged at N100 million.
NAN also reports that the same forms for the presidential ticket under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), goes for N40 million.
Nomination fees for governorship elections are N50million and N21 million respectively under the two parties, N20million and N2.5million for the senate and N10 million and N1.5 million respectively for the House of Representatives seat.
Zikrullahi said: “I think for me, that is to show you the level the exalted office of the president has been reduced to.
“It is worthless as far as the country is concerned.
“The presidency has been rendered worthless that every Tom, Dick and Harry, across the country can easily wake up and say they are vying for the office of the president.
“So there is no any value attached to that office, the only reason why everybody is vying for that post is because it is a ticket to looting.”
He also noted that the reason for the mass purchase of forms was because the public office holders had made so much money in the office that they had enough to purchase the forms at such exorbitant rates. (NAN)
