Ahead of the next local government elections, the Taraba State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, or APC, has threatened to sue the Taraba State Independent Electoral Commission, or TSIEC, alleging that the organization is charging excessive and unconstitutional nomination fees.
APC State Chairman Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi spoke to reporters at a press conference in Jalingo and attacked TSIEC’s fee structure, saying it was purposefully created to stifle opposition parties and limit voting participation.
The commission’s guidelines state that candidates for chairmanship must pay a non-refundable fee of N1 million, while those seeking vice chairmanship must pay N500,000.
Male candidates must pay N150,000 and female candidates N75,000 for councillorship seats, while female candidates must pay N250,000 for chairmanship and vice chairmanship.
El-Sudi denounced the accusations, calling them a breach of democratic values and unconstitutional.
Since INEC is not required to receive any fees under the constitution, state electoral commissions are not authorized by law to levy such fees. He claimed that this was a ruse to irritate political parties, particularly during a difficult economic period.
He insisted that the financial demands impose excessive burdens on candidates and impede inclusive democratic participation, and he called on TSIEC to immediately remove the fees from its election guidelines.
The Taraba State Board of Internal Revenue was also chastised by the APC chairman for charging what he called “outrageous” tax clearance fees of N1 million for candidates running for chairmanship and N500,000 for those running for councillorship.
He called for an immediate downward review to ensure fairness, saying, “These figures are not only excessive but unreasonable.”
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