2023: PDP realizes over N9bn in less than one month from aspirants

The Peoples Democratic Party has realised at least N9.24bn since it began selling nomination and expression of interest forms for various elective offices on March 17, 2022.

According to investigation, at least 3,132 forms had been sold to presidential, governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly aspirants.

Recall that the main opposition party, after its 95th National Executive Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, declared that it would begin selling forms the next day.

The National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, who disclosed this to journalists at the party’s Wadata Plaza secretariat at the time, also revealed that presidential and governorship forms would go for N40m and N21m, respectively.

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Aspirants for State House of Assembly paid 100,000 for expression of interest and another N500,000 for nomination form, while aspirants for House of Representatives paid a total of N2.5 million for both expression of interest and nomination form.

For those vying for senate seats, it is N3.5 million, while governorship aspirants paid a total of N21 million.

So far, 16 aspirants have expressed interest in the party’s presidential ticket. They include governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State; Nyesom Wike, Rivers State; Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State; and Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom State; as well as investment banker and economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; former governors of Anambra and Ekiti states, Peter Obi and Ayodele Fayose; former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and ex-Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Sam Ohuabunwa; a United States-based medical doctor, Nwachukwu Anakwenze; and publisher of Ovation, Dele Momodu.

The list also includes the only female in the race, Oliver Diana; former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, among others.

Each of the male 15 aspirants paid the sum of N40m for the nomination and expression of interest forms, making N605m, but the only female aspirant paid half of the nomination fee that her male counterparts paid at N17.5m.

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Thus, from the presidential aspirants, the party has so far raked in N622.5m.

At the governorship level, 168 aspirants, including seven females, have obtained forms totalling N3.458bn. This is made up of N168m for the expression of interest, N3.22bn for the 161 male aspirants and N70m for the female aspirants.

A total of 301 aspirants have so far obtained forms for the senatorial seats across the 109 districts represented in the upper legislative chamber. These consist of 282 men, who paid 846m for the nomination form; and 19 women, who paid N28.5m. Both groups of aspirants parted with N150.5m for the expression of interest form, thus making a total of N1.025bn.

For the House of Representatives, 1,218 aspirants have obtained forms and paid N609m for the expression of interest, while 1,117 men and 101 women paid N2.234bn and N101m for the nomination form. The total amount realised from the aspirants stood at N2.944bn.

The sale of state Houses of Assembly form generated a total of N839.65m for the PDP from 1,429 aspirants, who paid N142.9m for the expression of interest, while the 1,358 male aspirants cough out N679m and the 71 aspiring female lawmakers parted with N17.75m for the nomination form.

A source told our correspondent on Friday that the high display of interest for the elective positions necessitated the extension of the deadline for the sale of forms twice in the space of three weeks.

In its first announcement in the middle March, the PDP said it would stop selling forms on April 1, 2022. That date was later shifted by another week to Friday, April 8.

On Thursday, April 7, however, the party further extended the closing dates for the purchase and submission of expression of interest and nomination forms until April 14 and April 17, respectively.

Under the new timelines, the last day for the purchase of all forms has been extended to Thursday, April 14, 2022, while the last day for the submission of all forms has been extended to Sunday, April 17, 2022.