NDC’s new nomination fee rule breaks with APC, PDP model

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), the emerging opposition party associated with the political influence of Peter Obi, says only aspirants who win its primary elections will be required to pay nomination fees, a break from the cash-heavy model that dominates Nigerian politics.

The decision, announced Wednesday after a meeting led by the party’s national leader, Henry Seriake Dickson, could lower one of the biggest financial barriers facing political hopefuls ahead of next year’s elections.

Under the arrangement, aspirants who purchased only expression-of-interest forms will be allowed to contest the party’s primaries scheduled for May 28 and 29. Only successful candidates will later proceed to pay for nomination forms and complete documentation.

“In view of the constraints of time, it was decided that all those who purchased Expression of Interest Forms would be allowed to participate in the primaries,” Dickson said in a statement. “Only successful candidates will report to the party secretariat for documentation and, in the process, pay for nomination forms.”

The move stands in contrast to Nigeria’s dominant parties, where aspirants are typically required to pay millions of naira upfront, regardless of whether they eventually secure tickets.

The ruling All Progressives Congress charged as much as ₦100 million for presidential nomination and expression-of-interest forms in the current election cycle, while the Peoples Democratic Party also imposed fees running into tens of millions of naira.

The NDC says its fees are lower, with presidential aspirants expected to pay ₦20 million for expression of interest and ₦40 million for nomination forms, while state assembly hopefuls pay ₦1 million and ₦1.5 million respectively. Under the new arrangement, however, only eventual winners will pay the nomination component.

“Modern political institution”

Nigeria’s political system has long been criticised for pricing out younger candidates, women and less wealthy aspirants, turning party tickets into contests dominated by governors, businessmen and political patrons.

By reducing upfront costs, the NDC appears to be attempting to position itself as a reformist alternative at a time of widespread frustration with the country’s political establishment and deepening economic hardship.

The party has also gained unusual visibility in recent months through the involvement of Obi, whose 2023 presidential run reshaped opposition politics by mobilising younger urban voters and first-time participants across the country. Obi was named the party’s presidential election candidate. He joined the party from the All Democratic Congress which held hopes for a united opposition coalition until his exit.

Dickson said the party aimed to build “an enduring modern political institution” rather than “a special-purpose vehicle for any individual political interest.”

The NDC also said this would be the last time it conducts primaries manually, with plans to introduce electronic voting systems in future contests, another attempt to distinguish itself from larger parties routinely accused of opaque delegate systems and manipulated internal elections.

Teams of party officials have been deployed nationwide to supervise the primaries, while an appeal panel will address disputes arising from the exercise.