2023: Price of forms shows APC insensitive to the plight of youths – PDP

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr Iyorchia Ayu says the hike in the price of 2023 expression of interest and nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) shows insensitivity to the plight of Nigerian youths.

On Wednesday, the APC pegged the cost of its nomination forms for the president at N100 million, that of the governorship at N50 million.

Ayu in a statement by his Special Adviser on Communication & Strategy, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Thursday said the pegging of the price at such rates, cast APC in the image of hypocrites.

The PDP National Chairman described the ruling party as a fragmented alliance put together to capture power and inflict maximum pain on Nigerians, including their members.

“Nigerians will recall how in 2014, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, now President and leader of the APC, told Nigerians that he had to borrow N27m to buy his nomination form. The same man, as leader of his party, has now sanctioned the sale of the same forms at N100m! I am told that’s an increase of N370 per cent”.

PDP recalled that in 2014 when it was in power, the economy was still booming.

The opposition party berated the APC presidency for allegedly running the economy aground and making Nigeria the poverty capital of the world.

PDP also queried how APC aspirants buy nominations at such prohibitively high costs and yet preached “Equal Opportunity” to party members.

“By this latest insensitive action, the APC has disenfranchised thousands of her youths and dashed the hopes of millions of Nigerian youths who applauded President Buhari when he signed the Not Too Young To Run Bill into law in 2018. It is most insensitive and mind-boggling. All those buying the N100m and N50m nomination forms should be investigated for fraud, the statement added.

He said the PDP is a different and mass movement for the Nigerian people, saying ” this is why our nomination fees are soft and democratic. When you compare us with the APC, the difference is clear. This is why we must return to power to save Nigerians from this insensitive government”.