A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former Kano State deputy governorship candidate in the 2023 elections, Dr Aminu Abdurrahman Anas Warawa, has criticised the party’s nomination fees, warning that high costs are shutting out youths, women and other qualified Nigerians from the democratic process.
Mr Warawa spoke during a media briefing titled “Bamu Yarda Ba – We Do Not Agree”, where he expressed concern over what he described as the growing monetisation of politics and the erosion of internal democracy within political parties.
He faulted the ADC’s recent decision to introduce high nomination fees, saying the move contradicts the party’s founding ideals of inclusiveness and youth participation.
According to him, the ADC had built a reputation as a platform that encouraged young people, women and professionals to participate in politics by lowering financial barriers and, in some cases, offering free nomination forms.
“The ADC was seen as a credible alternative because it opened the political space to ordinary Nigerians. By reversing that policy and introducing high nomination fees, the party risks aligning itself with the same practices it once criticised,” he said.
Mr Warawa warned that excessive fees create the impression that political leadership is reserved for the wealthy, thereby weakening public confidence in democracy.
“One of the most troubling developments in our democracy today is the growing incidence of exorbitant fees for expression of interest and nomination forms. These costs have risen to levels that effectively shut out capable Nigerians who may not have substantial financial resources,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also criticised attempts to replicate the nomination fee structures of larger parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, arguing that doing so would erode the ADC’s reformist identity.
To address the situation, he proposed reduced nomination fees for elective positions, recommending N500,000 for State House of Assembly aspirants, N1 million for House of Representatives, N3 million for Senate, N5 million for governorship and N10 million for presidential aspirants.
Mr Warawa also called for greater use of technology in party congresses and rejected the imposition of candidates through consensus arrangements.
“At a time when Nigerians are searching for credible political alternatives, parties must avoid policies that discourage participation or create the impression that leadership is only for the rich,” he said.
