Mike Ozekhome, the lead counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for monetising democracy.
Ozekhome claimed that Buhari must immediately explain to Nigerians how he expected Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi, Chris Ngige, and other presidential aspirants to provide a sum of N100m to obtain their nomination forms.
The human rights lawyer revealed that APC was busy mocking the country’s democracy by putting N100m on its presidential nomination forms.
During its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Wednesday, the ruling party pegged its presidential nomination forms at N100m, while governorship hopefuls are expected to pay N50 million.
Reacting, the rights lawyer stressed that most of the aspirants would not be capable of purchasing the forms legitimately going by their income.
In a statement he signed, Ozekhome claimed that Buhari had now shown Nigerians an “example of how not to fight corruption.
“Buhari and the APC must tell us where they hope that Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, whose present annual salary is N12.126 million, will obtain N100m from when he would require 99 months to earn the N100m price for the nomination form.
“It will take Buhari himself whose salary is N14.05m 84 months (7 years) to get N100m.
“They must explain to Nigerians where aspirants like Chris Ngige and Rotimi Amaechi, who are ministers with an annual salary of N2,026,400 will get N100m for a presidential form when it will take them nearly 50 years to earn N100m.
“Let Buhari and the APC explain to Nigerians how Kayode Fayemi, Yahaya Bello, David Umahi, and Okorocha, whose salary per annum is N2,223,705, will cough out N100 million when it will take each of them 45 years to earn N100 million. Where will non-wealthy members of the APC, like Gbenga Hashim Olawepo get such money from?
“This APC party and President Buhari must tell Nigerians where Senator Orji Uzor Kalu and former Senate President, Dr Ken Nnamani would fetch N100m from when their salary as Senators was and is N750,000 per month. It would take Kalu and Nnamani 135 years to earn N100m.”