…APC now a ponzi scheme, says HURIWA
…Nigerians been srangled by money bags, says presidential aspirant, Garba Adamu
…Hike will help party to raise money to fund 2023 election – Okechukwu
By Ezeocha Nzeh
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday shocked its numerous aspirants for the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2023 election, when it announced N100m as fee for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms
APC also announced that the party’s forms for a Presidential ticket will be sold at N100 million, governorship aspirants cost N50 million; Senate, N20 million; House of Representatives, N10 million and State Houses of Assembly, N2 million
The party took the decision during its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morgan, disclosed announced the NEC decision on sale of forms, at the end of the NEC meeting, while addressing journalists
Earlier, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the APC transferred its powers to the National Working Committee (NWC).
APC’s NEC transferred its power to NWC under the leadership of its National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu for the next 90 days which will cover the period of sale of forms and conduct of primaries for the various elective offices, through a motion tha was moved by Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and seconded by Governor Nasir El-rufai.
The also APC announced May 30 to June 1 as dates for its “special convention” for Presidential Primaries.
During its National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting, the ruling party also approved 50 percent discount on nomination forms for all youth below the age of 40 years, just as approved he NWC recommendations for free forms for Women and People with Disability
This is even as president has charged the new National Working Committee (NWC), o use the opportunity of the powers of NEC been delegated to it to work towards keeping the party together by creating more room for discussions.
The President warned leaders of the All Progressives Congress at both national and state levels against factions and imposing of unpopular candidates as the 2023 general election approaches..
Buhari said, “I enjoin you all to follow due process in all the party processes and more importantly to develop more mechanisms against corruption.
“I call on all party members to abide by all extant laws, rules, and regulations and to leaders of our party to avoid the imposition of candidates that cannot win popular elections.
“This dictatorial behaviour cost us many strategic seats in the past. In the recent past, this led to some of our strong members, unfortunately, opting to go elsewhere because of the unfairly oppressive behaviour of party leaders at the state level.
“I must caution strongly against any tendency towards developing cliques, in–fighting within the party.
“We want to win well not succumb to factions on account of personal acerbities and desire to retain control at all costs. That surely is not the road to win,’’ he said.
“There’s no time to develop differences among ourselves. We have no time for that,’’ he added.
Meanwhile reactions have continued to trail the N100m price tag on the party’s presidential ticket
A Presidential aspirant on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, while condemning the party’s price for its presidential nomination accused the APC of moving to hand over the party’s ticket to money bags
Garba asked Nigerians to condemn the development to save Nigeria from being strangled by ‘moneybags’.
The APC Chueftain in his tweet, said, “If we don’t come together and use our collective power to save this country from the strangulation of the moneybags, we are doing a great disservice to our generation and that of the future.
“We cannot continue to buy political offices in Nigeria, we need competent leaders come 2023.”
APC is a Ponzi Scheme – HURIWA
Also, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, condemned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly displaying tendencies of a secret cult fraternity or a cartel.
HURIWA in a statement issued by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, expressed its shock at the news that the party pegged at N100 million the cost of its presidential nomination form for the 2023 poll.
The organisation said it is inconceivable that a citizen of Nigeria who made his money through legitimate means can afford to fritter away the princely sum of N100 million just because he or she wants to put himself out to become the servant of the people of Nigeria.
It argued that “only political rogues, drug peddling gangsters or persons involved in armed robbery or kidnappings for ransom can afford to gamble away such a lifelong fortune.”
The rights group said anyone who buys the nomination form at such a scandalous high amount of cash, should first be arrested by the citizens if possible under the law permitting citizen’s arrest so such a person is handed over to law enforcement agencies such as EFCC or ICPC or Police for investigation on the source of the money.
The Rights group also expressed consternation that banks may actually give out depositors’ money to “these power-hungry filthy politicians to gamble away in buying the nomination form at the All Progressives Congress’s Secretariat, since seeking to serve Nigerians in the thinking of these misguided party leaders has become a MONEY GUZZLING VENTURE OR A PONZI SCHEME’.
“We were only just finished carpeting opposition Peoples Democratic Party for bastardizing the process of nominating its presidential candidate by inflating the cost of the nomination form to a princely sum of N40 million, little did we know that the politicians who run the Federal Government and have ruined the national economy will peg theirs at the extravagant cost of N100 million just to spite the opposition politicians and to make fun at Nigerians as captives who as hostages of politicians can’t do nothing to checkmate this rascality of the political forces
“This same APC government is unable to meet the funding obligations for federal universities and thereby left millions of students of public schools to roam around in their homes due to industrial strike by university teachers (ASUU) for over two months, yet the politicians have hidden enough stolen cash to buy presidential forms at N100 million each.
“It is a shame that those who seek to govern Nigeria are made to cough out so much money to purchase forms just to signpost their original intention as persons whose only objective would be to first recoup their huge investments and to further impoverish the citizenry.
“We urge Nigerians to initiate citizen’s arrest of anyone who buys the APC Presidential form at the rate of N100 million so the relevant law enforcement agencies are handed over these suspects to explain their source of such huge funds.”
But in his reaction to the price on the party’s presidential and governorship tickets, another APC chieftain, Osita Okechulwu said the new price was in line with the party’s new position that the NWC should fund the 2023 elections
Okechukwu, who is also the Director General of Voice of Nigeria emphasized that the APC has become a brand in Nigeria’s democracy, adding that the price has become justifiable, since any candidate that wins the APC ticket has almost 60 to 70 chances of victory in the 2023 elections
“The new price is in line with the maxim of our president that our great party should fund itself, and stop relying from Governors and other stakeholders, this we believe will make the party stand on its own and resist interference from outside. Those are the thinking of the party in the hike in price
“The new price also shows that the APC has become a brands in he nations democracy, there is no doubt that any aspirant that wins the APC ticket at any level stands the opportunity of winning the 2023 election with almost 60 to 70 chances. So the stake is hign and it has become the race for the big hearted,” Okechukwu argued
Governors, predecessor’s rivalry fuelling crisis in APC, Sen. Adamu alleges
Meanwhile National Chairman of the APC, senaor Abdulahi Adamu has accused the sitting and former Governors of the party of being behind the crisis that rocking it at the various states
The APC chairman disclosed this in his opening address at the 11th National Executive Committee NEC meeting of the APC holding at the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja.
While he reminded the party’s stakeholders that state governors remain leaders of the party in their states, Adamu said the APC constitution does but have provision for dual leadership in the states.
He however conceded that former governors are leaders in their own rights, and requested that serving governors must accord them all the necessary respect.
He warned that the battle between former and serving governors at various APC States is tearing that party apart and may affect the chances of the party in the 2023 elections.
His words: “The problem today is a battle between serving State governors and their predecessors. It is a battle of ego. We can’t let this continue because it constitutes a threat to the party.”
Reminding stakeholder of the devastating effects of the 2014?2015 crisis that scattered the now opposition Peoples Democratic Party, the national chairman said “where two elephants fight, it is the grass that would suffer, and where serving governors and former governors fight, it is the party that would suffer.”
Adamu noted that there was the need for the party to be united at all levels if it does not want to suffer a similar fate like the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 2023 and 2014
