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John Adams Minna
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State has said it is illegal and unconstitutional for the state Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) to impose administrative charges on candidates contesting the November 30 council poll.
The party said it was wrong for the electoral body to demand that candidates fund its activities through the administrative charges, saying the law that created SIEC made provisions on how it will be funded to undertake it functions.
Chairman of the party, Tanko Beji, who said this in Minna, yesterday, while briefing the media on the level of preparation for local government elections, said the party has written SIEC to suspend the charge as it amounted to an act of illegality.
“We may be forced to test the veracity of the law in court should the Commission fail to reverse the administrative charge decision,” he said.
SIEC in a memo by its Secretary Abdullahi Bobi, had demanded that chairmanship and vice chairmanship candidates pay N100,000 while councilorship candidates pay N20,000.
It means that from the PDP which is fielding 50 chairmanship and vice chairmanship candidates as well as 274 councillorship candidates, the Commission would rake in about N10. 480 milllion as administrative charges.
“We are not obliged to pay because it is not our responsibility to fund the public project, there is nowhere in the country that this is done,” the state PDP chairman said.
