Forget Governorship Bid If You Do Not Have N30 Million – Labour Party Tells Edo Aspirants

The Labour Party (LP) has told its members in Edo State interested in the upcoming governorship election to withdraw their bid if they cannot afford a nomination and interest form fee of N30 million.

Addressing the press in Abuja on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, reiterated that the fee Labour Party imposed for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms in the Edo State governorship election is the most economical among the three major parties in the country.

He stressed that individuals who are unable to afford these fees should not contemplate participating in the governorship election, emphasizing that the recently released guidelines for the primaries, which have been approved by the party’s national leadership, are in accordance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act, and particularly the party’s constitution.

“Comparatively, the fee charged by the LP is still the lowest among the three major political parties in the contest. Therefore, any person who cannot afford that fee does not have the capacity to run for the governorship election,” Daily Trust quotes Ifoh.

Ifoh noted that political party funding poses a significant obstacle, and it is crucial to recognize that the sale of forms serves as a primary means of financing a political party.

“A lot of issues that may arise as a result of primaries and election itself which has to do with litigation arising from primaries and election itself as well as other logistics issues makes it imperative for the parties to charge that much so that the party can adequately discharge its responsibilities to the party, to the aspirants and to the candidate.

“There is also the cost of conducting the various congresses leading to the emergence of the candidate through the congresses in wards to local governments culminating into the party primaries,” the Labour Party chieftain added.

He further stated that the party’s released guideline undeniably expanded the range of involvement among its members. From the ward level onwards, every member will have a specific role to contribute towards the selection of the party’s candidate.

“It is consequent upon these, that all members of the party from the ward will be nominating two delegates each who will converge in their various local governments to nominate five delegates each that will participate in the primary election scheduled to be held on February 22, 2024, that will produce a candidate for the party,” he stressed.