The Labour Party National Leadership will not reduce the N30m fee for nomination and expression of interest forms for the Edo State governorship election.
In an interview on Sunday, LP National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh urged all candidates to raise funds.
The LP Publicity Secretary called the Edo State governorship election a serious business, asking how candidates who could not raise N30m for forms would get money “to prosecute the main election that will cost you hundreds of millions.”
Egbe Omorodion, a Labour Party governorship candidate in Edo State, and three others asked the party to review the N30m form fee. Ifoh responded.
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Omorodion said other aspirants felt the same way, but none had contacted him. They would meet on Monday to harmonise their position and inform the party.
Some state party members and aspirants claimed moneybags had hijacked the party.
However, party Chairman Kelly Ogbaloi denied the claim, saying the party would level the playing field for all candidates.
Before the February primaries, 34 candidates are running for the party.
They were appealing to the party leadership to include people with good intentions in the process, not to lower the form’s price, according to Omoridion.
He said he was trying to balance his conscience and the form’s price, worried it would silence their ballot-oriented supporters.
He said, “I can tell you that four of us (are) calling on the party to lower the form price. Monday will be our meeting to harmonise our position and express our feelings to the party hierarchy.
We think the form’s price monetises politics, which we don’t want. Imo State election forms cost N15m. Why is Edo different?
We are not forcing the party to review the price, but hoping to increase participation. We are real change, and if we are silenced, our constituents will be silent.”
Omorodion, the UK LP Chairman, advised against selling forms to raise party funds because people may feel exempted.
He added that the party had not lost steam after Peter Obi’s presidential loss, but “we have not had the candidate to shake the base.”
LP National Publicity Secretary Ifoh responded that the Edo State governorship was serious business for the party.
“My immediate reaction is that of the three major political parties in Nigeria, the Labour Party is still charging the lowest. We have a better chance of winning Edo State governorship.
“We are in a serious business, and if you cannot buy N30m, how would you prosecute the main election that will cost hundreds of millions? We are not just filling names in the Edo State governorship election; we are filling quality names that can win for the party.
We ask aspirants to be patient. We ask them to find the money. Decision made by the party. We will not refund expression of interest or nomination form fees.”
