Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi

By Jethro Ibileke

Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, has said that any aspirants who cannot afford the ₦30 million fee for expression of interest and nomination forms lack the capacity to run for the 21 September 2024 governorship election in the State.

He stated this on Wednesday in Benin while briefing the press on the election.

Recall that some aspirants of the 0arty had protested the ₦30 million charged by the party for the forms.

But, explaining the rationale behind the ₦30 million charged by the party, Ogbaloi noted that it is the lowest among the three major political parties contesting the election.

He added that the running cost of elections into political offices in Nigeria is quite expensive as witnessed from the recent general elections.

“Aside from being qualified to contest election, aspirants must also be ready to show capability and capacity to fund campaigns and other election requirements.

“Therefore, any aspirant who cannot afford the fee cannot run for the governorship election,” he said.

Ogbaloi noted that funding a political party is a challenge and that the sale of forms is a major source through which parties are funded.

He disclosed that only two governorship aspirants have bought the expression of interest and nomination forms, a man and a woman, even as he urged other aspirants to do the same.

According to him, “Issues that may arise as a result of primaries and election itself which has to do with litigation arising from such activities as well as other logistics issues, make it imperative for the parties to charge a reasonable fee like ours, so that it can adequately discharge its responsibilities during and after the elections.”

The Edo LP chairman therefore appealed to the party aspirants to make the necessary sacrifice by participating in the exercise, assuring that the party is determined to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants leading to the emergence of a credible candidate.

He said the party has reduced the fee for women by 50 per cent to ensure their participation in the governorship election.