George warns Lagos PDP against illegal dues for aspirants

Former Deputy National Chairman and Board of Trustees member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, yesterday expressed surprise at the demand for administrative fees from aspirants by the Lagos State working committee, saying such extra payment is illegal.

The committee had in a memo dated April 19, 2022, and signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Hakeem Amode, to all aspirants, stated that the Assembly aspirants should pay an administrative fee of N50,000 to the Financial Secretary.

The committee also directed that N200,000, N350,000 and N500,000 should be paid by the House of Representatives, senatorial and governorship aspirants respectively as an administrative fee.

George, in a statement yesterday, urged the aspirants to ignore such directives, saying such an “administrative charge” is unknown to PDP’s constitution and is illegal.

He, therefore, urged the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, to stop the Lagos excos from imposing unnecessary fees on aspirants who have already paid the money for forms of intents and nomination forms for their desired positions at the party headquarters.

He said that all the state chapters would get a certain percentage of the money already paid to the national body of the party, hence there is no need to further charge the aspirants any fee.

George further said that if the Lagos State working committee embarks on any extortion or illegal collection of money from the aspirants, he would not hesitate to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“I hereby warn all aspirants to be vigilant and not to pay any illegal fee. The act of extortion being embarked upon by the Lagos excos should be shunned and ignored.

“I equally warned the excos not to extort party members. They are to pay only fees that are legal,” George said.