The news media yesterday, reported that a political party has pegged the cost of obtaining its gubernatorial expression of interest form, collectable effective March 3, 2025 at N50m. I would want to believe that this announcement must be bothering a good number of Nigerians of conscience, but as usual, majority of Nigerians would not see the wider implication of such a huge amount being imposed for just gubernatorial interest form collection.
Governance is about service delivery, and one should expect that when a candidate steps forward to vie for the governorship of a state, such a candidate is determined to carry out sacrificial service. How then can we, in the current economic downturn of this country, justify the imposition of N50m for one to collect a form of interest in pursuit of this determination to render service?
We must interrogate this scenario and its wider implications because such a candidate after obtaining this N50m application form, must prepare to face other candidates in the party primaries. Let us not pretend that we are not conscious of what aspiring candidates go through before, during and after party primaries, which mostly involves huge monetary demands and compromises. In the face of all these, it is only one candidate that would emerge as the party flag bearer, at the end of this exercise.
But have we bothered to take time to compute the financial burden on these candidates at the end of the party primaries, or even what the successful flag bearer would equally encounter, in monetary terms, during campaign efforts to defeat the counterparts from the opposing parties? The outcome of this computation will guide us in the determination of the quantum of financial burden inflicted on these successful candidates before their assumption of office as governors.
Worse still is the circumstance of the unsuccessful aspirants who would want to recover their “invested” funds, some of which were borrowed from banks or money lenders or doled out by expectant godfathers. If this is not the obvious background to the corrupting tendencies associated with politics, politicking and poor service delivery in Nigeria, what else can be substituted?
The newly sworn-in governor, as an emperor, starts with taking control of the state house of assembly, ensuring that a humongous amount is approved for the clandestine and unaudited SECURITY VOTE. In addition, the Local Government funds are targeted after the Council leadership is compromised. Are we not aware of settlement of political godfathers, and where do we think that the funds are coming from? As for the unsuccessful candidates, we know that they exert so much pressure on the party leadership, such that they are usually sorted out with “juicy” appointments, for them to be able to remain loyal party chieftains, instead of their migrating to the rival party.
Political parties must aspire to enlarge their membership and ensure that dues payment and other forms of funds generation are encouraged. Imposing vulgar nomination of interest form costs on candidates is a sure way to frustrate willing and service-ready candidates. Otherwise, the field will be saturated with business-as-usual politicians. Definitely, this is not a way to fight systemic corruption in Nigeria.
•Sir Jonas Odocha writes from Abuja, Nigeria.