2019: Presidential aspirant drags Oshiomhole, APC , PDP, others to court over nomination form

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has been dragged to court by a
rights activist and a presidential aspirant on the platform, Christmas
Akpodiete.

Also included in the suit were the Attorney General of the Federation,
AGF, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the People's
Democratic Party, PDP, and order registered political parties.

They were dragged before the Federal High Courtsitting in Abuja over
the high cost of nomination fees charged by the political parties.

Akpodiete's case is marked with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/951/2018.

The presidential aspirant is asking the court to restrain the APC and
the PDP from going ahead with the scheduled primaries and if they do,
he's asking the court to declare such primaries null and void.

He is also demanding that the court to restrain INEC from recognising
such primaries, pending the determination of the substantial suit.

The aspirant is of the opinion that the nomination fees charged by the
political parties were not only ridiculous and unaffordable, but also
unconstitutional.

"The nomination fees are repugnant to the rules of natural justice,
equity and good conscience."

"It's an attempt by the Nigerian political oligarchs to make nonsense
of the just passed Not-too-Young-to- Run law, and it is a calculated
move to deprive the Nigerian people their constitutionally guaranteed
right to run for public offices in their own country," Akpodiete said.

Akpodiete is asking the court to give a judicial breath to this matter
by pegging the nomination fees for all elective positions at N18, 000
because according to him, that is the minimum wage.

He further argued that if the nomination fees are beyond that amount,
the ordinary Nigerian worker who earns N18, 000 monthly would be
deprived the capacity to achieve their constitutionally guaranteed
right, which includes the right to run for public office.

Lawyer to the aspirant, Mr F.B Ehikioya, said, "The action is based on
a breach of the fundamental human right of all Nigerian aspirants and
any attempt to keep the Nigerian people down shall be collectively
rejected.

Akpodiete had earlier written to the APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole,
appealing to the party to jettison the nomination fees or keep them
within the minimum wage but his complaint was not addressed; hence the
action.