A coalition of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2019 Presidential aspirants have warned the ruling party that they would conduct their primaries if the party does not scrap the N45 million nomination fee.
CKN News had reported last week that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling party fixed September 20 to conduct the Presidential Primary to elect a presidential candidate for 2019 election.
The ruling party, in its guidelines for the conduct of party primaries for the 2019 general elections as approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC), said the presidential candidate would emerge through a direct primary.
In the guidelines for the primaries, APC fixed N45 million as nomination fees for aspirants to the highest office in the country.
Apparently displeased with the said amount, a Coalition of 2019 APC Presidential aspirants in a statement on Monday, called on the party to scrap nomination fees, in line with the laws of the land.
In the statement which was jointly signed by Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, Chief Charles Udeogaranya, Alhaji Mumakai Unagha and sent to Concise News, the aspirants said failure to scrap the nomination fee will leave them with no choice than to conduct their primaries.
“We demand that the party (APC) should, without further delay, scrap nomination fees, in line with the laws of land.
“Failure to adhere to the aforementioned demands will give us no other option than to conduct our own primaries in line with extant electoral laws and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”, the statement read.
The aspirants also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to reject the N45 million nomination forms purchased for him by a group.
Giving reasons for the call, the aspirants said the action fundamentally contravenes Section 91 (9) of the Electoral Law.
“We demand that President Muhammadu Buhari should reject the N45 million nomination forms purchased for him by a group for the following reasons:
(a) It fundamentally contravenes Section 91 (9) of the Electoral Law;
(b) The offer runs contrary to Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade; and,
(c) Though some aspirants can afford the exorbitant cost of the forms, such amount is clearly not affordable to many others, including President Buhari and particularly the youths and women of our great party, APC”, the aspirants said.
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