Passport Hike: PDP Kicks, Says APC Has Abandoned the People As Ewenla says APC Has failed Nigerians, Calls for Change in 2027
…As Ewenla describes ₦100,000 passport cost as “anti-people policy”, urges Nigerians to hold APC accountable
The Chieftain of The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has strongly condemned the recent hike in the cost of obtaining Nigerian passports, describing the move as “another painful burden” placed on citizens by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by President Bola Tinubu.
This was released in a statement and signed by the People’s Democratic party Southwest Ex-Officio Ambassador Adedipe Dauda Ewenla while reacting to the announcement of increament on a new fee structure for passport issuance.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) recently announced a new fee structure for passport issuance, with the 32-page, 5-year validity passport now costing ₦100,000 and the 64-page, 10-year passport rising to ₦200,000. The announcement has triggered public outcry, with critics calling the increase unaffordable and unjustified.
Reacting to the development, Ambassador Dauda Ewenla, accusing the APC of deepening the economic hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.
“During the era of the PDP, passports were made available at minimal costs—barely ₦8,000—and in some cases, minors and teenagers received them for free or at highly subsidized rates,” Ewenla stated.
“That was a time when government understood that access to travel documents is a right, not a privilege reserved for the wealthy.”
He argued that the new pricing structure further alienates the poor and working-class Nigerians, many of whom earn less than ₦50,000 per month.
“How can a struggling family afford ₦100,000 just for a passport? This increase is not about improved services—it is yet another example of the APC’s anti-people policies and total disconnect from the suffering of Nigerians.”
Ewenla went on to urge Nigerians to hold the government accountable, stating that the PDP remains the only party with the “compassion, vision, and track record” to restore good governance and national dignity.
“Come 2027, APC must be voted out, and PDP voted in, because only PDP holds the true solution to Nigeria’s problems,” he added.
The PDP’s criticism adds to growing political and public pressure on the federal government, with many questioning the timing and rationale behind the sharp increase amid rising inflation, high unemployment, and other economic woes.
