The Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, has condemned what it called an attempt by the state governments to impose a plutocracy on the nation’s fledgling democracy through fees charged by the States Independent Electoral Commissions for nomination forms to contest local government elections nationwide.
The National Chairman of the party, Falalu Bello, said this in a statement he issued on Thursday
Bello said that every Nigerian has the right to participate in the democratic process without being hindered by financial constraints, adding that democracy should be about inclusivity, not exclusivity.
“We warn that if the ruling class continues with this practice, ordinary Nigerians, inclusive of the Nigerian youth that constitute over 60% of the registered voters, may rebel against the system, and if and when they do, we should blame these plutocrats preventing ordinary Nigerians from participating in elections.
“It is our duty as a responsible political party to speak out against this injustice and demand better from our leaders, and should we not be listened to, we will have no options as an interested party but to go to court to ask whether or not the practice of using financial strength to exclude ordinary Nigerians from participating in the electoral process is not a breach of the fundamental human right of these ordinary Nigerians from participating in their governance in a plural democracy,” he said.
Bello called on Nigerians to unite in the struggle for democratic rights and demand that leaders prioritize the interests of the people over personal gain, adding that any action that seeks to disenfranchise ordinary Nigerians and undermine the very fabric of the nation’s democracy would not be tolerated.