Nasarawa State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Francis Orogu, has decried the high cost of nomination forms as announced by the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC).
The PDP Chairman stated this after the expanded State Executive Council meeting of the party in Lafia, the State Capital
NASIEC Chairman Mr Ayuba Wandai, had on Wednesday, July 7, at a meeting with political parties preparatory to the election, announced that the commission would conduct LG election on October 6. He added that the commission’s Councilorship and Chairmanship nomination forms are N200,000 and N500,000 respectively.
Orogu said given the hardship the people are going through presently in the state, that amount was not reasonable and affordable. He advised the commission to emulate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and make their nomination forms free to candidates.
The PDP Chairman also kicked against the LG electoral law that results of the election would be announced by the Chairman of the commission. He said the party was consulting with their legal team with a view of challenges that portion of the electoral law in the state.
“If the free and fair election is conducted any day in the state, PDP will win a landslide,” the PDP Chairman added.
He also announced that the party would participate in the October 6 scheduled election and called on members to start creating awareness to showcase their candidates for various offices. He further called on State and National Assembly members elected on the platform of the party who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to vacate their seats or face legal action.
He said those who were elected on the platform of PDP are free to defect to any party if they want to, but they cannot go with the party’s mandate.
Suzan O
