Court Fixes Judgment For June 30 In Suit Seeking Abolition Of Fees By Parties

The ECOWAS Court has fixed judgment for June 30 in a suit that seeks among others, the abolition of the practice where political parties impose fees on members who want to contest for public offices.

The applicants, in the suit, marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/49/18 filed by five Nigerians are alleging that the “excessive fees” imposed by Nigeria’s political parties for aspirants to public offices amounted to the violation of their human rights.

The applicants – Kenneth Roberts, Goodluck Edafe, Matthew Oguche, Macauley William-Jumbo and Josephine Okeke – who said they reside in different cities in Nigeria, claimed that the imposition of fees has resulted in a gradual and systematic entrenchment of plutocracy, a government only by the rich in Nigeria.

Justice Edward Amoako Asante, who presided over the hearing on 23 March, 2021 adjourned the matter for judgment after hearing both parties.

Addressing the court, plaintiffs’ lawyer, Festus Ogwuche argued that registered political parties in Nigeria were in the habit of imposing outrageous fees for declaration/expression of interest and nomination forms thereby discriminating against medium and low income aspirants to public offices in the Respondent state.

Ogwuche argued that nomination form fees were arbitrarily and outrageously fixed to exclude aspirants of low socio-economic status.

He relied on Article 13 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights that guarantees “every citizen shall have the right of equal access to the public service of the country”, and Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both also relating to equal access to public office.

-NATION