Only political rogues, drug peddlers can afford APC’s N100m presidential form- HURIWA

Civil Rights Advocacy group,  Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has said only political rogues, drug peddling gangsters or persons involved in armed robbery or kidnappings for ransom can afford to gamble away N100m as presidential nomination fees being demanded by the ruling All Progressives Congress.

HURIWA in a statement on Wednesday said any citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in good standing with the laws should arrest those persons buying these forms at N100 million each set per person.

The group 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/she wants to put himself out to become the servant of the people of Nigeria.

HURIWA said further of citizen’s arrest citing published materials by legal pundits, that despite the practice’s name, in most countries, the arresting person is usually designated as a person with arrest powers, who need not be a citizen of the country in which they are acting.

“For example, in the British jurisdiction of England and Wales, the power comes from section 24A 2) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, called “any person arrest”. This legislation states “any person” has these powers, and does not state that they need to be a British citizen.

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The Right 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.

“We were only just finished carpeting opposition Peoples Democratic party for bastardizing the process of nominating it’s presidential candidate by inflating the cost of 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 have left millions of students of public schools to roam around in their homes due to industrial strike by university teachers (ASUU) ince over two months , yet the politicians have hidden enough stolen cash to buy presidential from 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”.

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“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.”

HURIWA recalled that the party’s forms for Presidential ticket at N100 million, governorship aspirants cost N50 million; Senate, N20 million; House of Representatives, N10 million and State Houses of Assembly, N2 million.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party disclosed on Wednesday that it has approved Schedule of Activities and Timetable for the 2023 general election. The NEC has approved the commencement of sale of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms from Saturday, April 23 to May 6, 2022 for the 2023 general election. It approved a 50% reduction in nomination fees for youths less than 40 years for various elective positions.