2027: Parties, High Nomination Fees and Civilian Autocracy

The Advocate, a respected legal column in ThisDay, critically examines the Lagos State Government's recent reintroduction of monthly environmental sanitation. While acknowledging the public health goals, the column emphasizes that such initiatives must operate within the bounds of the law. Citing a previous Court of Appeal ruling in Faith Okafor v Lagos State Government, it highlights that directives restricting movement, even for sanitation purposes, may infringe upon the constitutional right to freedom of movement, as exceptions are narrowly defined.

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While the public health goals of the Lagos State Government (LASG) to improve its environment, by making it cleaner cannot be ignored, such initiatives must be implemented within the ambit of the law.

Beyond the sanitation issue, The Advocate raises a more profound concern about the trajectory of Nigerian democracy as the nation gears up for the 2027 general elections. The column argues that instead of deepening democratic principles, the electoral process appears to be devolving into a civilian autocracy or plutocracy. This worrying trend is attributed, in large part, to the exorbitant fees charged for expression of interest and nomination forms by political parties.

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The Respondents, therefore, lack the power in law to direct or order not only the restriction of movement of any and every person who has not committed any offence, or is not reasonably suspected of having committed any criminal offence…..

These high costs effectively price out a vast majority of potential candidates who lack the financial means, thereby narrowing the field of aspirants to a select few. This practice, the column laments, has long been a feature of Nigeria's electoral landscape, consistently excluding individuals of modest backgrounds. The Advocate calls upon the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intervene and address this systemic issue, as mandated by the constitution, to ensure a more inclusive and representative democratic process.

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For one, placing high price tags on expression of interest and nomination forms, thereby ruling out majority of Aspirants who cannot afford to pay such exorbitant amounts for forms, narrows the pool of Aspirants considerably.