December 27, 2023 NewsOrient
By Kelechi Eke

• N20m for Senate form in APC, N3.5m in PDP

Ahead of the scheduled February 3, 2023 bye – elections, both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have announced concessions to encourage youths and female participation.

For example, “APC youths from 25 to 40 years are to purchase expression of interest forms. But there is “A 50 percent discount on nomination forms.”

An APC bye-election timetable, signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Sulaimon Argungu, and released on Monday, said sale of nominations, expressions of interest, and delegates forms for contestants for Senatorial, House of Representatives, and State Assembly seats, put at N20 million, N10 million and N2 million respectively, would begin on December 27, 2023 and will end on January 2, 2024.

The party’s Primary Elections are therefore slated for January 6, 2024.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) released it’s bye-elections timetable on Tuesday. It was signed by the party’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature.

The release said PDP’s sale of nominations, expressions of interest and delegate forms would begin on December 28, 2023 and will end on January 3, 2024.

It said the party’s primaries are scheduled to be held on January 9, 2024.

The PDP release further said the price for expression of interest and nomination forms for the Senate, House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly are N3.5million, N2.5million and N600,000 respectively.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which fixed February 3, 2024, for the conduct of bye-elections, had said they resulted from the resignation or demise of members of the National and State Houses of Assembly.

According to INEC, “the vacancies occurred across two senatorial districts, four federal constituencies, and three state constituencies. And they span across nine states of the federation.”

~ NewsOrient