Nollywood actor cum politician, Kenneth Okonkwo, has berated the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) for charging N30m as the nomination form fee for aspirants interested in the party’s ticket for the forthcoming Edo State governorship election.
Okonkwo, in a short statement on Tuesday via his X account, said fixing such a high amount is insensitive and ill-advised of the party.
He argued that the Labour Party is meant to be a party for ordinary workers and Nigerians, but fixing such an amount for its nomination fee is simply excessive, objectionable, and unacceptable.
The Labour Party chieftain urged his party to retrace its steps so as not to be seen as towing the lines of failed and corrupt All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He wrote: “The decision by the Labour Party to fix its Edo State governorship nomination form fee at N30m is simply excessive, objectionable, and unacceptable. This is towing the line of the failed and corrupt APC and PDP. Nomination fee by a party, which is meant to be a party for ordinary workers, and which the ordinary workers can not afford is insensitive and ill-advised.
“The Labour Party should retrace its step now to avoid being classified in the same category with the old Nigeria political parties.”
Recalls that LP had announced that interested aspirants in the party’s ticket for Edo State would pay N30 million for nomination and expression of interest forms. The party also fixed February 22 for the conduct of the primary election.
But aspirants hoping to clinch the Labour Party (LP) ticket for the September 21 Edo State governorship polls have rejected the N30 million charged by the party for expression of interest and nomination forms.
This was made known by one of the aspirants, Dr Egbe Omorodion, who told newsmen in Benin that all the governorship aspirants want a reduced fee and have scheduled a meeting to take a stand on the matter.
According to him, if the Labour Party could reduce the fees for Imo State to N15m, then the same should be done for Edo State.
However, the Labour Party (LP) has told its members in Edo State interested in the upcoming governorship election to withdraw their bid if they cannot afford a nomination and interest form fee of N30 million.
Addressing the press in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, reiterated that the fee Labour Party imposed for the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms in the Edo State governorship election is the most economical among the three major parties in the country.
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