Okoi Obono-Obla, a former Chairman of the Special Presidential Panel on Recovery of Public Property, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to force candidates to pay a lot of money for nomination forms and then rig the process to favor their chosen candidates.
Obono-Obla warned in a statement from Calabar that these kinds of actions could hurt the party’s internal democracy and make it harder for good candidates to run.
The ex-presidential aide said that the cost of party nomination forms is going up and that candidates shouldn’t have to pay between ₦10m and ₦50m only to be denied a fair contest.
He said that the money power of party leaders should not decide who gets to run for office.
He said, “Candidates should not have to pay ₦10 million, ₦20 million, or ₦50 million for forms only to be denied a fair contest.”
Obono-Obla said that the ruling party’s credibility depends on how fair and open its primaries are.
He said, “Fairness and openness must guide the primaries.” He also said that having credible internal processes would make the party stronger and give voters better representatives.
He also said that fairness in the nomination process would help the party keep the trust and faith of its members.
The former aide also talked about his time during the 2023 elections, saying that he had to sell a house he built in Calabar for ₦22m to get a senatorial nomination form.
He said that even though it cost him money, the process was rigged by choosing delegates who were loyal to certain interests within the party leadership in Cross River State.
Obono-Obla also said that delegates were given large amounts of money during the primary election in Ikom.
He said, “Delegates received between ₦200,000 and ₦300,000 each,” and he claimed that the money came from the state.
He says that a lot of party members are unhappy with the quality of representation that came out of the process.
He told the APC to make sure that the primaries are fair, equal, and open as they get ready for the 2027 general elections.
The former presidential aide also said that party members should be able to choose candidates who truly represent their interests without any restrictions.
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