By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, has expressed serious concern about the monetization of the country’s electoral process, particularly party primaries.
This comes as the All Progressive Congress, APC, has pegged the cost of its gubernatorial nomination form for the November 8,2025 ,Anambra off-circle polls at N50 million.
At an interactive session with Civil Society Groups , CSOs, in Abuja on Tuesday February 4, 2025 Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, INEC Chairman charged them to focus their attention on how political parties conduct their primaries .
He lamented that apart from the undemocratic manner most of the parties conduct their primaries, the system, Yakubu maintained, has been heavily monetized.
According to the INEC boss, political party primaries are now mostly ” a cash and carry” affair .
The meeting was aimed at bringing together leaders of civil society organization in the country to brief them on the electoral body’s preparations for the Anambra State Gubernatorial election and the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Council polls scheduled for November 8 and February 21, 2026 respectively.
Prof Yakubu enjoined the CSO’s to shift their attention from main elections to political party primaries, insisting that some undemocratic activities at that level, tend to have negative consequences on the general elections proper.
“It is time to cast your net wide by focusing on the incidence of vote buying by aspirants at during primaries.
“Some delegates openly boast of how much they make from aspirants at party primaries. In the general elections proper ,only the candidates nominated by the political parties are placed on the ballot paper for citizens to vote for.
“So you can see why it is imperative to monitor closely how these candidates emerge from the various political parties”, Prof Yakubu stated.
To this end, he called on the civil society groups to always ensure that political parties subscribe to internal democracy ,as well as comply with all relevant extant rules and regulations governing the process.
The APC National Organizing Secretary, Suleiman Muhammad Argungu, who reeled out the costs of the nomination forms ,also informed that details of the parties activities in the run up to the election has been released.
Breaking down the figures, Argungu.noted that aspirants are to pay the sum of N10 million ,for the Expression of Interest Form ,while they are to cough out N40 million for the nomination form .
However, female aspirants, and persons with disabilities are to pay only N 10 million for the Expression of Interests form, while they are exempted from the payment of N40 million Nomination form.
Similarly, youths are to enjoy a 50% discount on the Nomination form ,while they are to pay full for the Expression of interest form .
According to APC National Organizing Secretary, sale of forms will begin on February 10, and end February 25, 2025.
Other part of the party’s pre-election programmes are the screening of aspirants which is scheduled for between March 7 and 8, 2025 , delegates Congress , April 2, and primaries which will take place on April 5, 2025.
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