President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress have been castigated by a youth group, the Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, for pegging its presidential nomination form at N100 million, which it claims is intended to promote corruption.
The group questioned how someone applying for a position with a salary of N56 million for four years would be expected to apply for a job with a salary of N100 million if the president and his party did not want to steal from the country.
On Monday, it said the logic behind the exorbitant cost of the party’s presidential form was beyond human comprehension in a press statement signed by leaders of the group’s several zones, including its President-General, Goodluck Ibem.
It said, “We are alarmed over the outrageous cost of the APC nomination and expression of interest forms of N100 million for Presidential, N50 million for governorship, N20m for Senatorial and N10m for federal house of representatives.
“The approval of these outrageous fees for mere nomination and expression of interest forms of a party in power confirms the party as a cesspool of corruption.”
The organization slammed President Buhari, claiming that he had criticized the party in 2014 for fixing the presidential forms price at N27.5 million ahead of the 2015 general elections, but that his party was now seeking N100 million under him, and he was staying quiet.
Analysing the salaries of the president, COSMBYLA said, “The annual salary of the president of Nigeria is N14,058,820.00k. In four years, it would be N56,235,280.00k. How will someone apply for a job with N100m, other campaign expenses exclusive just to earn N56,235,280.00k.
It said, “President Buhari is an employee of Nigerians and he is answerable to Nigerians who elected him into power in 2015 and 2019. As youth leaders of this country who have the interest of our nation Nigeria at heart, We demand to know how someone whose salary will amount to N56,235,280 in four years will be applying for the same job with a whopping sum of N100m.”
According to the organization, if an APC presidential candidate spent N100 million on purchasing his party’s presidential forms, spending all of the money needed to campaign across the country, and settling political party heavy weight, the winner would steal from Nigerians to recoup when sworn in.
“President Buhari has confirmed to Nigerians that all this time he contested for the office of the President, he was not contesting to be President so that he can build Nigeria, but rather he was contesting so that he can destroy what is left of the country.
“How can one explain that when President Buhari came into office, one dollar was exchanged for N160 and now under his watch the same one dollar is N580. Foreign investors were coming in to invest into our economy but today all of the investors have left because of insecurity.
“President Buhari has failed Nigerians and we cannot pretend about it. Nigerians are tired of this administration, we are waiting for the President’s resignation,” it added.
