The Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, COSMBYLA, has described as outrageous the N100million being demanded by the All Progressive Congress, APC, for its presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms, insisting that the huge price tag portrays the party as a cesspool of corruption.
Recall that the APC had pegged its presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms at N100million, governorship N50million, N20million for Senatorial and N10million for the House of Representative forms.
Piqued by the high cost of the forms, the COSMBYLA, in a statement issued Monday in Makurdi wondered why a president whose annual salary is N14,058,820 would be made to cough out N100million to purchase his nomination forms.
The statement was jointly signed by the President General, Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, Goodluck Ibem; President, Benue Youth Forum/Coodinator Forum of Middle Belt Youth Presidents, Terrence Kuanum, Coordinator, South West Forum of South West Youth Leaders Forum, Shittu Waheed and the President, South South Youth Forum, Tito Zuokumor.
The coalition insisted that “the approval of these outrageous fees for mere Nomination and Expression of lnterest forms of a party in power portrays the party as a cesspool of corruption.
“We are aware that the annual salary of the President of Nigeria is N14,058,820.00k. In 4 years it would be N56,235,280. How will someone apply for a job with N100million, other campaign expenses exclusive just to earn N56,235,280?
“If an APC presidential aspirant brings out N100 million to purchase his party’s Presidential forms, spend all the monies needed to campaign round the country and settle political party heavy weights, if the person eventually wins and is sworn-in as President, our country’s treasury will be emptied.
“President Buhari has failed Nigerians and we cannot pretend about it. He was there when his party announced these prices. He has confirmed to Nigerians that all this time he contested for President, he was not contesting to be President so that he can build Nigeria.
“How can one explain that when President Buhari came into office, one Dollar was exchanged for N160 and now under his watch the same one Dollar is N590. Foreign investors were coming in to invest into our economy but today all of the investors have left because of insecurity.
“No food for Nigerians to eat because the murderous Fulani terrorists parading as herdsmen are killing Benue farmers and the indigenes so that they can take over their ancestral lands. A state like Benue that is the “food basket of the nation” cannot feed herself now let alone feed the nation because of the nefarious activities of the terrorists. In fact Nigerians are tired of these administration.”
