By Desmond Afowha
People’s right activist and APC Presidential aspirant, Mr. Christmas Akpodiete, has dragged the ruling all progressive congress, (APC),
the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other registered political parties before the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja. The action is with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/951/2018.
In the face of the current nomination fees, the presidential aspirant is asking the court to restrain the APC, PDP from going ahead with the schedule primaries and if they do, he’s asking the court to declare such primaries null and void.
Akpodiete, in a statement made available to Journalists in Abuja, Wednesday night is also asking the court to restrain INEC from recognizing such primaries, pending the determination of the substantial suit.
He is of the opinion that the nomination fees charged by political parties are not only ridiculous and unaffordable, but they are unconstitutional.
“The nomination fees are repugnant to the rules of natural justice, equity and good conscience”…
“It’s an attempt by the Nigeria political oligarchs to make nonsense of the just passed (NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN LAW), and it is a calculated move to deprive the Nigeria people their constitutional guaranteed right to run for public office in their own country” Akpodiete said.
Akpodiete is asking the court to give a judicial breath to this matter by pegging the nomination fees for all elective positions at N18,000,00. (Eighteen thousand naira only), because that is the nation national minimum wage.
Akpodiete is praying the court that if the nomination fees is beyond that amount, the ordinary Nigerian worker who earns N18,000,00, (eighteen thousand Naira) monthly, would be deprived the capacity to achieve their constitutionally guaranteed right, which includes the right to run for public office.
Director of legal and the Lawyer to the aspirant, Barrister F.B Ehikioya, said “the action is based on a breach of the fundamental human right of all Nigeria aspirants and any attempt to keep the Nigeria people down shall be collectively rejected”.
It will be recalled that Akpodiete had earlier on written to the APC chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, appealing to the party to jettison the nomination fees or keep it within the minimum wage but his complaint was not addressed; hence this action.
The case is awaiting hearing.