GistReel
A political debate has erupted online after a Nigerian man criticised the high cost of nomination forms announced by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), describing the fees as a major obstacle preventing ordinary citizens from contesting elections in Nigeria.
In a lengthy post shared on social media, the man accused the party of shutting out low-income Nigerians from politics through what he described as “unaffordable” nomination fees for elective positions.
According to him, the fees reportedly include ₦2.5 million for State House of Assembly aspirants, ₦6 million for House of Representatives, ₦8 million for Senate, ₦30 million for Governorship, and ₦60 million for Presidential aspirants.
Reacting to the figures, he argued that the costs contradict the idea of democracy being a government of the people.
“NDC, this is bad. Really bad,” he wrote.
“How can you call yourself a people’s party when the people cannot even afford to run for office under your platform?”
He further claimed that the system encourages political godfatherism because many ordinary citizens cannot independently afford such fees without external sponsorship.
The man compared the nomination costs with Nigeria’s minimum wage, currently pegged at ₦70,000 monthly, arguing that a worker earning that amount would struggle for years to save enough money to purchase even the cheapest nomination form.
According to his breakdown, a minimum wage earner would need almost three years of salary to afford a State House of Assembly form if every naira earned was saved.
He added that House of Representatives forms would require more than seven years of earnings, while Senate forms could take over nine years of salary.
The social media user also compared Nigeria’s political process with the United Kingdom, noting that parliamentary candidates in the UK reportedly pay a refundable £500 deposit if they secure at least five percent of votes cast.
He argued that the Nigerian political environment has become heavily dominated by wealthy politicians and political sponsors because ordinary citizens are allegedly being priced out before elections even begin.
“This is exactly why Nigerian politics keeps recycling the same rich men, godfathers, political merchants, and sponsored candidates,” he stated.
