The Peoples Democratic Party, Ogun State, on Saturday, berated Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission’s insistence to charge administrative charges of N250,000 per chairmanship candidate in the forthcoming November 16 local government elections.
The state electoral body had said that councillorship candidates will be charged N150,000 while their female counterparts are to pay N100,000.
The Chairman of the commission, Babatunde Osibodu, in a statement on Friday clarified that the administrative charges for the upcoming local government are directed at political parties, not individual candidates.
Osibodu stated that the commission is legally empowered to impose the fee, having sought legal counsel and received approval from the State House of Assembly.
He explained that the fee aims to boost participation and commitment among political parties.
He said, “Each party must pay the administrative fee. People tend to value what they invest in.
“By paying for their candidates’ forms, parties will demonstrate greater commitment, encouraging more than just a few of the 19 registered parties to show interest”.
However, the Secretary of the opposition party, Sunday Solarin has described the charges as “obnoxious and sheer exploitation that will be resisted just as it was done in 2021”.
Solarin said that it was unfortunate that that OGSIEC is only interested in adding to the current hardship the people are facing with the demand for such administrative charges before performing its duties.
He said, “They came up with this idea in 2021. The obnoxious idea was vehemently resisted and the Commission was forced to retrace its steps
“One wonders why OGSIEC wants to add to the level of current hardship the APC government has imposed on the people of Ogun State and all Nigerians in general.”
He added, “We shall similarly resist this extortion as well. How much did Governor Dapo Abiodun and APC pay to INEC to participate in the election that brought them to power?
“OGSIEC should begin to act like a responsible Institution while its handlers should adequately acquaint themselves with the true position of the law.
“It is even more surprising to be told that the Commission lacked the adequate budgetary provisions to conduct a free and fair election without adding revenue exploitation to its capacity to perform its statutory obligations.”