Nigeria’s main political parties are charging election hopefuls eye-watering fees for nomination forms, in a move condemned as undemocratic and a breeding ground for high-level cronyism and corruption.
Supporters of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan pooled their resources to stump up the 22 million naira (US$132,000) to buy his nomination form from the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Main opposition party All Progressives Congress (APC) is asking for 27.5 million naira, forcing one prospective candidate, former Nigerian military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, to take out a bank loan.
For governorship posts, the PDP is asking for 11 million naira, while the APC wants 10 million naira — all before anyone is even chosen to run in the polls next year. Candidates for parliamentary elections are also having to pay huge sums of cash, far outstripping the fees charged elsewhere in west Africa.
Political and legal analysts say the exorbitant rates in Nigeria are illegal, discourage popular participation in the electoral process and consolidate power among the elite.
“The incredible amount of money charged by political parties for nomination forms only reflects the dangerous connection between politics and big business and the disconnect it fosters on the silent majority,” said Eneruvie Enakoko, formerly of the Transition Monitoring Group, made up of non-profit organizations promoting democratic values.
High fees for nominations force aspiring candidates without significant financial means to raise money from super-rich backers, who will then expect payback if the candidate wins, he added.
“If the candidate eventually gets the nomination and wins the election, he feels indebted and obligated to that tiny percentage of the population and his loyalty will be to those people and not to the rest of the populace or the silent majority who have no voice,” he said.
Under the 1985 to 1993 reign of former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, two political parties were founded and funded by the government: the National Republican Convention and the Social Democratic Party. Yet since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, the government has stopped directly funding parties, forcing them to look for other ways to raise money.
While the nexus of politicians, wealthy individuals and big business is not unique to Nigeria, the phenomenon makes it less likely that the country’s problems are tackled.
Nigeria may be Africa’s biggest economy and leading oil producer, but it ranks low in social development indicators such as access to education and healthcare.
About 61.2 percent of Nigerians were living on US$1 a day or less in 2009-2010, according to the last available government figures on living standards, released in 2012.
The country is also blighted by endemic graft, particularly in the huge public sector, and was ranked 144th out of 177 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index last year.
For Dapo Thomas of Lagos State University, the exorbitant fees skew the political system, furthering a culture of patronage and keeping out poorer, but perhaps more qualified, administrators.
“It allows the moneybags and godfathers to dominate the political scene,” he said. “If somebody of Buhari’s caliber could not afford 27.5 million naira without taking a loan from the bank, who else can afford it?”
Lagos lawyer Femi Falana said charging for nomination by both Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, which oversees elections, and political parties was against the law.
Debo Adeniran of the Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders pressure group described charging as “unwholesome” and “undemocratic,” but the commission has maintained that it is powerless to act.
The electoral body cannot stop parties from collecting election fees, commission spokesman Kayode Idowu said, but he expressed concern about the trend.
“On no account should eligible Nigerians be denied the rights to participate in the electoral process. Not even money,” he said.
The electoral body will continue to monitor the finances of the parties and has set limits on campaign spending, he added.
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