SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA
The Akinriyuwa of Owu Kingdom, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Chief Olumide Aderinokun, has urged Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, not to use the forthcoming council election as an avenue to increase the state’s Internally Generated Revenue.
Aderinokun, who stated this recently in Abeokuta, the state capital, charged the governor to look elsewhere for IGR generation, noting that the amount charged for the nomination form is barbaric.
He lambasted the current administration in the state for making democracy expensive by charging between N100,000 to N200,000 for nomination forms for the chairmanship and and councillorship positions at the third tier level of government
According to the founder of the Olumide and Stephanie Aderinokun Foundation, the large sum of money charged for nomination forms by the All Progressives Congress-led administration of Governor Abiodun is an attempt to disenfranchise other opposition parties from contesting the council election in the state.
He, however, said that the high fee charged for nomination form would discourage young aspirants from participating in the forthcoming LG election, stressing that the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, was not supposed to be an agency for generating IGR.
Aderinokun said, “Gov Abiodun and his team should look elsewhere for revenue collection and not through the local government election. The amount charged for nomination forms is barbaric. Gov. Abiodun is making democracy expensive by charging 200, 000 and 100, 000, respectively, for Chairmanship and Councillorship candidates.
“The All Progressives Congress (APC) is trying to disenfranchise candidates from the opposition parties. We are talking about election that will usher in our servant leaders at the grassroots and not State Assembly election. Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) is not supposed to be a revenue generation agency.”