2023 Presidency: PDP’s Youngest Aspirant Sues Party Over N40m Nomination Fee
- Yet again, the outrageous cost of the presidential nomination forms of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been greeted with criticism
- This time around, the opposition party PDP will have to face legal battles as some aggrieved members are not pleased with it
- Political pundits who are enthused by the outrageous price of nomination forms have stated that it was an attempt to sieve out the low-income party members and auction leadership
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Oyo, Ibadan - The youngest presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayoola Falola has filed a lawsuit against the party, the chairman, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Daily Trust reports.
Ayoola who is seeking to be the flag bearer of the party at the 2023 presidential polls filed the suit on Tuesday, May 10 at the Federal High Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state.
Source: Facebook
In his suit, the 35-year-old is seeking to nullify the processes of the party’s primary elections in a lead-up to the 2023 general elections.
As gathered by Legit.ng, Ayoola stipulated that the PDP does not have the statutory right to issue guidelines requesting for payment of nomination and expression of interest forms from the claimant or any other member aspiring to contest for a public office in the forthcoming general elections.
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In his suit, he made references to sections of the newly enacted Electoral Act of 2023 in sections 84(3), 65, 66,106, 107, 131, 137, 177, 187, 224, 224, and 15(2) seeking that the court should declare the process null and void.
He added that the electoral body had the statutory power to monitor the affairs of the PDP in line with the constitution, guidelines or rules, and additional nomination qualification or disqualification criteria.
Ayoola Falola's petition against PDP
Recall Legit.ng had earlier reported that Ayoola upon the announcement of the nomination fee, threatened to take legal actions.
While making a case for low-income earning aspirants like himself, he stated that the fee for the party's nomination and expression of interest forms are biased towards the rich.
Falola, a member of PDP in Ward 12, Ibadan South West local government area of Oyo state immediately sent a petition to the national leadership of the PDP, stating that the high cost of the forms is inconsistent with the financial realities in Nigeria today.
He also said that the high cost of the party forms ahead of the 2023 general elections was either pegged at such a rate to serve as a tool for crowd control or an unjust way to encourage oligarchy.
His words:
"That the nomination form fees are being unjustly used to ensure only the rich can get the nomination of the party which contravenes the aims and objectives of the party as enshrined in the party constitution, section 7 subsection 2g states that ‘The party shall strive to promote an egalitarian society founded on freedom, equity, and justice”
2023: PDP's N21m guber form is teaching us to steal, party aspirant
There are objections to PDP's fixed amount (N21 million) for the expression of interest form for the governorship seat.
An aspirant of the PDP in Katsina, Engr Muttaqha Rabe Darma, lamented that the form is too expensive.
Darma added that by fixing the form at that amount, the PDP is invariably teaching politicians to steal.
PDP approves 50% reduction in nomination fees for youths
Meanwhile, the PDP had approved the reduction of nomination fees for youths in the party by 50 per cent.
The national publicity secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said that all youth between the ages of 25 and 30-years who plan to vie for various elective positions would pay 50 per cent of the nomination fee.
Ologunagba in the statement seen by Legit.ng noted that the decision of the party was made available in a communique issued at end of the 95th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP.
Source: Legit.ng
