2023: Apprehend Anyone Who Buys APC Party’s N100Million Presidential Forms, Nigerian Human Rights Writers Urge Citizens

From Ogundele Olanrewaju

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has condemned the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for allegedly displaying tendencies of a secret cult fraternity or a cartel.

APC earlier in the day announced that aspirants seeking to contest for the 2023 presidency would pay N100m to buy forms.

The APC explained that the nomination form would go for N70 million while the expression of interest form costs N30 million.

Reacting, HURIWA in a statement signed by Emmanuel Onwubiko said it is inconceivable that a Nigerian who made his money legally can afford to spend a whopping sum of N100 million just because they want to serve Nigerians

It argued that “only political rogues, drug peddling gangsters or persons involved in armed robbery or kidnappings for ransom can afford to gamble away such a lifelong fortune.”

The rights group said anyone who buys the forms for such amounts, should first be arrested by the citizens and handed over to law enforcement agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) or the police to investigate the source of the money.

HURIWA has also warned that the hike in the cost of presidential forms to N100 million will affect the value of the naira.
It alleged that economic saboteurs who had stashed away dollars would need to source for the amount in dollars, therefore mopping up some of the naira in circulation.

“This same APC government is unable to meet the funding obligations for federal universities and thereby left millions of students of public schools to roam around in their homes due to industrial strike by university teachers (ASUU) for over two months, yet the politicians have hidden enough stolen cash to buy presidential forms at N100 million each,” the statement read.

“It is a shame that those who seek to govern Nigeria are made to cough up so much money to purchase forms just to signpost their original intention as persons whose only objective would be to first recoup their huge investments and to further impoverish the citizenry.

“We urge Nigerians to initiate citizen’s arrest of anyone who buys the APC Presidential form at the rate of N100 million so the relevant law enforcement agencies are handed over these suspects to explain their source of such huge funds.”

The APC explained that the nomination form would go for N70 million while the expression of interest form costs N30 million.

Reacting, HURIWA in a statement signed by Emmanuel Onwubiko said it is inconceivable that a Nigerian who made his money legally can afford to spend a whopping sum of N100 million just because they want to serve Nigerians

It argued that “only political rogues, drug peddling gangsters or persons involved in armed robbery or kidnappings for ransom can afford to gamble away such a lifelong fortune.”

The rights group said anyone who buys the forms for such amounts, should first be arrested by the citizens and handed over to law enforcement agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) or the police to investigate the source of the money.

HURIWA has also warned that the hike in the cost of presidential forms to N100 million will affect the value of the naira.
It alleged that economic saboteurs who had stashed away dollars would need to source for the amount in dollars, therefore mopping up some of the naira in circulation.

“This same APC government is unable to meet the funding obligations for federal universities and thereby left millions of students of public schools to roam around in their homes due to industrial strike by university teachers (ASUU) for over two months, yet the politicians have hidden enough stolen cash to buy presidential forms at N100 million each,” the statement read.

“It is a shame that those who seek to govern Nigeria are made to cough up so much money to purchase forms just to signpost their original intention as persons whose only objective would be to first recoup their huge investments and to further impoverish the citizenry.

“We urge Nigerians to initiate citizen’s arrest of anyone who buys the APC Presidential form at the rate of N100 million so the relevant law enforcement agencies are handed over these suspects to explain their source of such huge funds.”