Addendum: On the Disowned APC Nomination Fee List
Shortly after I published my statement on the cost of nomination forms, I observed that the APC has formally disowned the widely circulating list for the 2027 elections. I acknowledge this clarification and note that my earlier reference relied on figures that were in public circulation at the time.
However, this does not diminish the substance of the concern.
The figures under debate closely track the pattern already established in 2022 by both the APC and the PDP, as documented by International IDEA.
In 2022, the APC fixed its nomination fees at ₦100 million ($240,884) for President and ₦50 million ($85,470) for Governorship. For legislative offices, APC charged ₦20 million ($34,188) for Senate, ₦10 million ($17,094) for House of Representatives, and ₦2 million ($3,418) for State Assemblies.
The PDP’s 2022 nomination fees, while lower than the APC’s, followed the same model of monetising access to political office.
PDP charged ₦40 million (about $68,376) for the presidential form and ₦21 million (about $35,897) for the governorship. For legislative offices, PDP fixed ₦3.5 million (about $5,982) for the Senate, ₦2.5 million (about $4,273) for the House of Representatives, and ₦1.5 million (about $2,564) for the State Assemblies.
This demonstrates that the issue is not limited to one party; it reflects a wider, entrenched approach across major political parties in Nigeria.
At current exchange realities (≈₦1,500/$), the widely circulated 2026 APC figures translate to: ₦200 million ≈ $133,000 for President, ₦150 million ≈ $100,000 for Governorship, ₦100 million ≈ $67,000 for Senate, ₦70 million ≈ $47,000 for House of Representatives, and ₦20 million ≈ $13,000 for State Assemblies.
This reveals a clear pattern. Compared to 2022 APC levels:
Presidential cost has declined by about 45% in dollar terms, despite doubling in naira terms
Governorship has increased by about 17%
The Senate has increased by about 96%
The House of Representatives has increased by about 175%
The State Assembly has increased by about 280%
This is the real issue.
Even at their 2022 levels, these fees had no meaningful precedent in comparable democracies and were already exclusionary. The relatively moderate dollar values for legislative seats in 2022 appear to have created a perverse incentive, steady upward adjustment in naira terms, amplified by currency depreciation, leading to sharp real increases that progressively shut out new entrants.
The issue, therefore, is not whether the current list is authentic. It is that the model itself, established and normalised by both major parties, treats access to political office as a financial transaction rather than a democratic right.
Nigeria must move away from this path.
Osita Chidoka
28 March 2026.
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