The Hope Democratic Party has shot down a proposal for prospective local government chairmanship candidates to pay N100, 000 nomination fees in Osun State.
The party also added that such hurdles should not be placed in the way of citizens who want to become candidates.
The party made the comment in the light of a proposal by the Osun State electoral Commission’s Chairman to be decreased from N250, 000 to N100, 000.
The fee reduction is one of several recommendations that the OSIEC Chairman hopes would be implemented ahead of the forthcoming local government election in the state.
Mr. Wole Adedoyin, the Osun State Chairman of the party said “We think it would be tough for some of our members to find N100, 000 for nomination fees. The electoral body may say that N100, 000 is not a lot of money but we tell you, if you are down and out, N100,000 is too high”.
“Our party does not support the fee. Though we were not around when the whole House agreed on that amount. We believe that the fee was pegged at that amount in order to prevent some parties from contesting the polls. Intending members of different political parties should be allowed to seek political office once he or she meets all requirements already stipulated in law. Once the legal hurdles have been cleared in terms of members’ ability to run or to vote, then the electoral body should not try to put any other stumbling block in his or her way”.
“If the reason behind the proposed fee is to increase government revenue, such move should be opposed. It is an undemocratic way of denying Osun State citizens of their voting right to vote and be voted for. We also believe that the proposed administration fee is the new system fabricated by OSIEC to generate fund for the state government. But this is a wrong step in a wrong direction. One of the things that we have to be very careful of in our democratic governance is that we don’t use every means of getting money as government revenues. We have to be very careful with that. So, putting the nomination fee to N100,000, the idea should not be to increase revenue as a result. That shouldn’t be the question at all”.
“Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is a man of the masses. He loves the masses and would never do anything to deny them their rights. Our party believed in the governor’s progressive style of leadership and we know he will listen to our plea like he has done before. We clamored for this local government election and here it is today”.
“We therefore beg the governor to reduce the fee so that an ordinary citizen of the state can contest and be voted for” Adedoyin added.
Packaged by Rahman Salami
