Some members of the African Action Congress during the unveiling of the secondary school tour in Awka.
By Ukpa Ewa
The African Action Congress (AAC) Anambra State chapter has threatened to boycott the forthcoming local government elections over the N5 million administrative fee imposed on chairmanship candidates by the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC).
Speaking during the party’s monthly general meeting in Awka, the Deputy National Chairperson (South East) of AAC, Chioma Ifemeludike described the levy as “anti – democratic” and alleged that it would disenfranchise grassroots participants.
She noted that the issue was first raised during a meeting between political parties and ANSIEC officials last year under the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) platform, where the N5 million fee was introduced.
According to Ifemeludike, the levy which she said is payable to the Anambra State Government rather than directly to the political parties effectively shuts out youths, working class citizens and other grassroots aspirants from participating in the local government elections.
“Local government is the closest tier of government to the people. It should not be turned into a billionaire affair,” she stated.
She argued that beyond nomination forms and campaign expenses, requiring aspirants to pay N5 million to the electoral body raises concerns about accessibility and fairness.
“If political parties are made to pay such huge sums, how can ANSIEC guarantee free, fair and credible election?” she queried, while recalling allegations of vote buying during the last governorship election in Anambra State.
The AAC official warned that if the levy is not reviewed, the party would not field candidates for either the chairmanship or councillorship positions in the state’s 21 local government areas.
AAC’s Official Position
In a press statement signed by the State Publicity Secretary, Surveyor Anyanwu Anthony, the party described the levy as a “pay-to-play scheme” and “legalised extortion.”
The statement also alleged that imposing N5 million on chairmanship candidates and N1 million on councillorship candidates would encourage corruption, as elected officials may seek to recover their financial outlay from public funds.
“Capacity, integrity and service should determine leadership not the size of one’s bank account,” the statement read.
The party demanded immediate reversal of the fees, level playing field for all political parties and greater inclusion of youths and grassroots participants in the electoral process.
The statement further accused ANSIEC, led by Barr. Genevieve Osakwe of acting like a revenue-generating agency rather than an impartial electoral umpire.
Efforts to obtain official reaction from ANSIEC on the allegations were ongoing as of press time.
