The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Ebonyi State has ignited widespread controversy after announcing that the nomination form for local government chairmanship positions will cost aspirants N30 million.
The decision, disclosed by the state party chairman, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, has sparked outrage among political observers, civil society groups and ordinary citizens, who argue that the exorbitant fee effectively excludes grassroots politicians and ordinary Ebonyi indigenes from contesting, turning local elections into an exclusive affair for the wealthy or well-connected.
The announcement came after a closed-door meeting with party officials from the state’s 13 local government areas and 171 wards.
According to Emegha, the N30 million fee covers both the expression of interest and nomination forms for chairmanship aspirants, while councillorship forms are priced at N250,000.
Sales of forms for delegates and councillors began on January 8, with chairmanship forms available from January 9 to January 19, ahead of the planned local government elections in August 2026.
According to data from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), even if a local government chairman avoids all personal expenses and saves every kobo of official salary and allowances, the total earnings over a full four-year term would still fall short of N30 million.
This has led many to describe the fee as not just prohibitive but a direct incentive for corruption, as successful candidates may view their tenure primarily as an opportunity to recoup their “investment.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works, David Umahi’s 27year old son, Osborne has already picked the N30m APC LG chairmanship form Ohaozara Local Government Area.
