THE toxic influence of money on the selection process of candidates for elections in the country reared its ugly head once again during the preparations for the upcoming party primaries of the governorship election in Edo State. Reports indicate that a total of N219 million was made from the sale of forms to prospective candidates in both the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
This aspect of the electoral process in Nigeria should be discouraged because of its role in promoting exclusivity. Although a huge amount of resources is required to run political parties, it is nevertheless very dangerous to rely so heavily on the internal electoral process of parties as a major source of fund raising. This could engender far-reaching consequences that would continue to haunt Nigeria’s tottering democracy.
According to the reports, the APC generated N135 million from its candidates, while the PDP’s efforts yielded N84 million. A breakdown showed that Expression of Interest Form by each APC candidate attracted N2.5 million, while a Nomination Form went for N20 million per candidate. On the other hand, both categories attracted N1 million and N20 million respectively in the PDP. This is without doubt an exercise only for those who can dig deeper into their pockets.
During the 2019 general election, N12.64 billion was reaped from candidates who contested elections under the umbrella of the ruling party across the country, according to computations by Sunday PUNCH. The President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who reportedly took a bank loan to pay N25 million for a nomination form in 2015, had to rely on well-wishers to raise the N45 million he needed for the same purpose to contest the 2019 polls. The implication is that if the bank had turned down Buhari’s request, he would have been shut out of the process and would not have realised his ambition of becoming a civilian President.
This is one reason why it has been so difficult to produce the very best at the various levels of representation in governance in Nigeria’s democratic dispensation. Because of this, many competent citizens who are capable of rendering quality service to the people are shut out because they cannot afford the frightening cost of contesting. It therefore did not come as a surprise when Olurotimi Akeredolu, the Governor of Ondo State, another state facing the polls later this year, cried out about the high cost of obtaining forms.
In the South-West state, the exercise has garnered N256 million from aspirants within the APC alone. “When the fee for this year was announced, I screamed that it was too much and that I did not have the money,” Akeredolu, who will be taking part in the contest for the third consecutive time, said. He is not the only one who has complained as many budding politicians have baulked at the prospect of spending huge amounts just to obtain forms when there is still so much to be spent during the campaign.
If a sitting governor could lament about the high cost of obtaining a form for the primaries, then the financial impact on others could only be imagined. A group of supporters in the state had to contribute the N22.5 million for the governor to pay for the forms. In some cases, people have had to obtain loans to enable them to contest elections, thus turning it into a business venture rather than a call to public service. When such candidates eventually win, the motivation to make money as quickly as possible to repay their debt overshadows every other consideration.
This is one of the reasons why corruption has become an epidemic in the country. The high cost of obtaining forms encourages the emergence of godfathers with their noxious influence on politics and governance. If a prospective candidate cannot afford the amount needed and goes to seek sponsorship, it could result in the situation that played out in Anambra State in 2003, when the then governor was abducted and forced to tender his resignation by his godfather.
Generally, political parties are funded by contributions from three main sources: membership fees, dues, subscriptions and donations by members and supporters; contributions by organisations, including corporate donations that share their goals, and in some countries, public funding through grants from the state. But in Nigeria, politics and selection of candidates have been heavily monetised.
This has been the main drawback to the democratisation of the electoral process, which the Independent National Electoral Commission has to address. Although INEC, in the past, had shown interest in regulating the noxious influence of money on politics generally, the aspect that has to do with obtaining forms to contest an elective office should also attract maximum attention. It is also the reason why remuneration of political office holders is made so attractive – to pay off the cost of winning elections.
Nigeria needs to expand the political space in order to make democracy serve public interest. To stand for election, money should not be an impediment. Since politics is generally seen to be very expensive anywhere, what can be done is to ask the political parties to look for other sources of raising funds. Payment of an annual subscription should also be a way of raising funds for political parties. The amount on its own may not be much but it will depend on how parties are able to boost their membership. Parties should be innovative in how they raise money, but placing too much emphasis on prospective candidates who want to stand for elections should not be a major source of funding parties.
The Punch