The Jigawa State Electoral Commission has set the form fee for each chairmanship candidate in its forthcoming election at Five Million Naira (N5m), while councillorship candidates are required to pay Two Million Naira (N2m) each. This means that any party intending to field candidates across the entire state would need to pay over Seven Hundred Million Naira (N700m) in total form fees.
This policy appears to be a deliberate attempt to prevent opposition parties from participating in the local government elections scheduled for October this year. By imposing such exorbitant fees, many capable individuals will be priced out of running for office, simply because they cannot afford the cost of the forms. Moreover, if someone is forced to spend such a large sum just to purchase a form, how can they effectively serve the public if they win? They might simply resort to corruption to recover their expenses.
Running for office is a fundamental right of every Nigerian citizen, and all parties must be given a fair opportunity to field candidates. Imposing these fees will effectively bar smaller parties from participating in the electoral process. This issue is not limited to Jigawa alone; if this practice is allowed in Jigawa, other states may follow suit, especially now that governors are being compelled to hold elections.
We urge the Jigawa State Electoral Commission to either distribute the forms free of charge or set a fee that is affordable for all parties, including the opposition.