Governorship aspirants in the Labour Party have kicked against the N30 million set as fees for nomination and expression of interest forms for the September 21, 2024 Gubernatorial election in Edo state.
The Aspirants in a joint statement demanded a reduction in the fees, in order not to encourage the participation of popular aspirants, and for the democratic process not to be limited.
The statement read, “We, the undersigned Labour Party gubernatorial aspirants for Edo State, after extensive internal discussions and also feeling the pulse of the members of our party, have made the following observations:
1. After careful scrutiny of the press release by the National Publicity Secretary of our Party dated January 17, 2024, where he communicated the resolution of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our Party, the Labour Party, to peg the amounts of five million naira (NGN5,000,000.00) for the expression of interest form and twenty-five million naira (NGN25,000,000.00) for the nomination forms
It is noteworthy that the NWC, in the last off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States, pegged the cost of forms at Twenty-five million naira (NGN25,000,000.00), but after public uproar and the intervention of our national leader, the party reduced the cost of forms to fifteen million naira (NGN15,000,000.00), which many members and those sympathetic to the cause of our party still found too pricey. To then come to Edo State to repeat the same thing gives the impression that the party leaders may not be feeling the pulse of their members.
Our vision for the Labour Party is rooted in earnest labour, voluntary service, and equal opportunity, which should be reflected in the affordability of party forms.
In light of these concerns, we, therefore, strongly recommend the following:
1. The expression of interest form should be made free for all aspirants, while the nomination form should be obtained at a cost that does not exceed from one to five million naira (NGN1,000.000.00 to 5,000,000.00) (50% reduction for women and people living with disabilities).
2. We also recommend that for the ward and local government congresses that the party has scheduled to hold, the forms for those interested in being delegates be made free. Our members at the grassroots, who have selflessly sacrificed and toiled and put their effort and resources into building our party, should not be compelled to pay for delegate forms, especially in light of the current economic reality in our country.
We understand the financial challenges the party may face, and we propose enforcing mandatory prescribed membership monthly dues collections as per the party’s constitution to address this concern.”
The statement was signed by eighteen aspirants
(C) ControlTV 2024.
