*says it’s deliberate plan to exclude youth from participating
By; NIYI OGUNGBOLA, Abeokuta
The exorbitant cost of nomination forms allegedly fixed for Presidential Election in 2023 by All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been described as deliberate plan targeted towards the youth in order to exclude them from participating in the presidential elections.
Condemning APC and PDP in a press statement made available to journalists in Abeokuta, the National Publicity Secretary of Labour Party (LP), Comrade Arabambi Abayomi, described N20 and N40 million Naira allegedly fixed as amount to be paid for nomination forms as too high and undemocratic.
According to him,this high amount is targeted at Youths to preserve the Presidential seat for the rich.
“Our Party attention has been drawn to news purportedly emanated from the PDP and APC national head offices with respect to a deliberate and malicious inflation of Nominate fees for some Political offices in their respective parties towards the 2023 General Polls.
“Of course, to every citizen who are well informed in the two – in – one APC and PDP Political Party shared official policy of excluding the poor citizens from the electoral process , it won’t come as a surprise that these political parties came out to publicly place as much as N40m and N20m on Nomination forms.
“This tendency with the two – in one APC and PDP political Parties has remained the same manipulative and primitive practice that have reserved and have sustained electoral monopoly for their recurring and ever leading deceitful frighteningly rich political Goliaths.
“The APC and PDP are the masters at political exclusion arrangements .It is now their culture . Haha ?….. N40m to purchase one single form .Costing nomination forms beyond the reach of the not rich professionals, the youths, the women smells of extortion attitude “. Abayomi lamented.
Abayomi further said that, beside been undemocratic to fix high amount as nomination fees, it is also insensitive considering the fact that, most of Youths who obtained one, or two degrees even,doctorate have remained for very many years with no prospect for gainful employment.
According to him, Youths predicament was as a result of blind and wicked looting of the commonwealth rendering the Nation insolvent and inadequate in all sectors under the Governments of APC and PDP in the last 24 years.
“Many people who are interested in politics can’t in anyway raise this cost of APC and PDP nomination. One wonders if with this position and development, these deliberately excluded citizens would yet remain clueless”.
Comrade Aboyomi therefore, called on Nigerians to vote wisely in 2023 by casting their votes only for the Labour Party which he described as focused and committed to the practice of equity and Justice.
