A stalwart of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Cross River State, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla has expressed dismay over the demand by the party for prospective chairmanship and councillorship candidates for the upcoming local government election to pay N1.5 million for tax clearance.
Recall that the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, CROSIEC, had slammed sum of Five Million Naira on chairmanship candidates and one million Naira for councillorship candidates before they could collect expression of interest forms, but the state governor, Senator Bassey Otu slashed it to One Million Naira and Two Hundred Thousand Naira, respectively.
Obono-Obla said, “We cried over exorbitant fees which CROSEIC wanted candidates to pay, and the Governor intervened.
“Now APC is asking aspirants to pay astronomical sums to get tax Clearance Certificates in the region of N1.5 million.
“This is outrageous, wicked and a cruel attempt to rig the APC nomination process. Is APC now a tax collection agency?”
Condemning the request, Obono-Obla said it was a way by the leadership of the party to create easy way for political godfathers to install their stooges.
“This is another effort by a supposedly progressive party to disenfranchise aspirants, and create an easy passage for the rich and acolytes of political godfathers,” he said.