…the ANSIEC N5m admin fee effectively places governance at the grassroots level “up for auction.
Awka, Nigeria — The iNews Times reports that the African Action Congress (AAC), Anambra State chapter, has strongly condemned the ANSIEC N5m admin fee announced ahead of the forthcoming local government elections, describing the charge as extortionary and anti-democratic.
The Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) had fixed an administrative fee of N5 million for chairmanship aspirants and N1 million for councillorship candidates across the state’s 21 local government areas.
Addressing journalists on Saturday, the party’s Deputy National Chairperson (South-East), Chioma Ifemeludike, demanded the immediate reversal of what she termed “predatory levies,” insisting that nomination fees must remain minimal to promote inclusion across all social classes.
According to her, the ANSIEC N5m admin fee effectively places governance at the grassroots level “up for auction to the highest bidder,” warning that such a financial barrier would exclude youths, the working class and ordinary citizens from participating in the electoral process.
“We demand an immediate reversal of these predatory levies. Nomination fees must be minimal to ensure the inclusion of all social classes,” she said.
Ifemeludike further accused ANSIEC of acting as a “firewall” for the ruling party instead of creating a level playing field for all political parties contesting the polls.
She called on civil society organisations, labour unions and the youth of Anambra to resist what she described as an attempt to commercialise local governance.
Flanked by the State Publicity Secretary, Anyanwu Chinedu Anthony, the AAC leader outlined reasons for rejecting the fees, describing them as legalised extortion, a recipe for corruption and a death knell for meritocracy.
“Demanding N5 million from chairmanship candidates and N1 million from councillors is a blatant attempt to shut out the youth, the working class and the common man from the political space,” she stated.
She warned that forcing candidates to spend millions merely to appear on the ballot could incentivise corruption, as elected officials may prioritise recovering their financial outlay from public funds.
“Capacity, integrity and a track record of service should determine leadership — not the size of one’s bank account. This levy ensures that only the corrupt elite and their godfathers can participate,” she added.
The party maintained that local government, being the closest tier of governance to the people, should serve as a training ground for visionary leadership and community-driven development rather than a “pay-to-play” venture.
The AAC also criticised ANSIEC under its Chairperson, Mrs Genevieve Osakwe, alleging that the commission was operating more like a revenue-generating agency than an impartial electoral body.
“You cannot claim to run a democracy while placing a ‘Billionaire-Only’ sign at the entrance of government. This is a slap in the face of every hardworking Anambra citizen,” the party said.
