The All Progressives Congress has pegged the cost of its 2027 presidential primary forms at a combined N100m, with governorship aspirants required to pay N50m, as the party releases its election timetable ahead of next year’s general elections.
Presidential aspirants will pay N30m for the expression of interest form and N70m for the nomination form, while governorship hopefuls will part with N10m and N40m for the respective forms, according to a two-page schedule of activities signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaimon Arugungu, on Saturday.
Senate aspirants will pay N3m and N17m for the expression of interest and nomination forms respectively, while House of Representatives aspirants face fees of N1m and N9m. State assembly aspirants will pay N1m for the expression of interest form and N4m for the nomination form.
The document states that the timetable was prepared in accordance with the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026, and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s revised schedule for the 2027 general elections.
On the timeline, the party scheduled the notice of election to state chapters for April 20, with form sales commencing at the national secretariat from April 25 to May 2, 2026. The deadline for submission of completed forms is May 4.
Primaries are slated as follows: House of Assembly, May 16; governorship, May 18; House of Representatives, May 20; and Senate, May 22. Appeal windows open from May 24 for the House of Assembly, and May 25 for the remaining categories.
The fees drew sharp criticism from political analysts. Prof Kamilu Fage described the development as undemocratic, arguing that it effectively excluded ordinary Nigerians from the political process.
“It means that people without such money cannot even contest. By implication, democracy is no longer by the people and for the people, but by the rich and for the rich,” he said, urging voters to obtain their voter cards and base their choices on merit rather than party affiliation.
Political analyst Omenazu Jackson echoed the sentiment, warning that the high cost of forms forces aspirants into financial obligations that compromise their conduct in office.
“Some of them have to borrow, but by the time they get into office, the first thing is to begin to appease those who lent them money,” he said. “The APC and other political parties doing this have literally monetised our democratic process.”
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