LG Poll: AAC Flays ANSIEC over N5m Admin fee, insists ‘Anambra Not for Sale’

By Praise Chinecherem

The African Action Congress (AAC), Anambra State Chapter has condemned the N5 million Chairmanship Administrative fee, announced by Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) ahead of the upcoming Local Government election in the state.

Deputy National Chairperson (South-East) of the party, Chioma Ifemeludike who stated this on Saturday in a press conference described the fee as extortion and billionaire’s club.

She demanded immediate reversal of the predatory levies, insisting that nomination fees must be minimal to ensure inclusion of all social classes.

According to her, by demanding such an astronomical sum, ANSIEC has effectively put the governance of 21 Local Government Areas up for auction to the highest bidder.

She said, “We demand an immediate reversal of these predatory levies. Nomination fees must be minimal to ensure the inclusion of all social classes.

“ANSIEC must stop acting as a firewall for the ruling party and start creating a level playing field for all political parties.

“We call on the civil society, labor unions, and the youth of Anambra to join us in resisting this attempt to sell our local governments to the elite.

Ifemeludike, flanked by State Publicity Secretary, Anyanwu Chinedu Anthony itemized reasons for the fee rejection to include legalized extortion, recipe for corruption, death of meritocracy, among others.

“Demanding N5 million from chairmanship candidates and N1 million from councilors is a blatant attempt to shut out the youth, the working class, and the common man from the political space.

“When a candidate is forced to pay millions just to get on the ballot, their first priority upon entering office will be to “recover” their investment from the public treasury. ANSIEC is effectively seeding corruption before the first vote is even cast.

“Capacity, integrity, and a track record of service should be the criteria for leadership—not the size of one’s bank account. This levy ensures that only the corrupt elite and their godfathers can participate,” she posited.

While insisting that grassroots governance is not a business venture, the party regretted that the current administration and ANSIEC were rather transforming the election into an exclusive “Pay-to-Play” scheme.

The party maintained that local government as the closest tier of government to the people was supposed to be the training ground for visionary leaders and a space for community-driven service.

“The AAC refuses to recognize this “toll-gate” approach to democracy. We see this for what it is: a desperate attempt by the ruling class to prevent a grassroots revolution by making the cost of entry impossible for the average citizen.

“ANSIEC lead by the Chairperson of the commission, Mrs Genevieve Osakwe, is acting like a revenue-generating agency rather than an electoral umpire.

“You cannot claim to run a democracy while placing a ‘Billionaire-Only’ sign on the entrance of the government house. This is a slap in the face of every hardworking Anambra citizen,” the party added.