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John Adams, Minna
After weeks of bickering, all the political parties participating in the forthcoming local government election in Niger State have succumbed to the demand by the state Independent Electoral Commission for the payment of administrative charges imposed on candidates contesting the elections.
Some of the registered political parties in the state vehemently opposed the payment of non-refundable administrative fee of N100, 000 for the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship candidate, N20,000 for councillorship candidate, declaring it as illegal.
Some of the parties also threatened to drag the state electoral body to court over the charges, but made U-turn on Thursday with the payment.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was the first to kick against the payment of the levy claiming it was illegal before threatening to challenge the policy in court.
It was however gathered that the leading political parties in the state had early this week paid the “administrative charges” on behalf of their candidates.
The PDP it was learnt, secured a court order that the amount should be collected from the party since the period for submission of nomination papers had closed.
“We have paid for all our candidates” the Niger North vice chairman of the party Alhaji Yahaya Ability, confirmed to our correspondent on Thursday evening.
He also confirmed that the party would go ahead with its case in the court challenging the legality or otherwise of the imposition of the administrative charges.
The Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate for Chanchanga local government, Alhaji Mohammed Kabiru said the party had not paid the levy because “we are in court.”
Mohammed Kabiru, however, said the party would pay for all the candidates if the court ruled otherwise.
The state chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Alhaji Jibrin Imam, confirmed that payment had been made on behalf of all the chairmanship and councillorship candidates by their political parties.
“We are a law-abiding party; we have complied with all the laws for the conduct of the election,” Jibrin Imam said.
The APC chieftain praised the state governor for being “a true Democrat” adding that in just five years,” he was conducting the second local government election in this state
“The PDP was able to conduct only one local government election in 16 years but now they are complaining.”
When contacted the Chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Alhaji Aminu Baba Alhaji, confirmed that most of the parties had complied with the law by paying the administrative charge.
“We are set for the election,” Alhaji Aminu Baba Alhaji said.
