Creation of a strong awareness and belonging to the right powerful caucus that can positively protect political interest (as analysed in the first series of this political analysis) is the first step in the battle for an elective office seeker. DARE AKOGUN writes about the second leg, which is the battle for a political party’s ticket to become the substantial candidate
the Nigerian political system is dynamic and sometimes confusing. It is a system where the best candidate does not always emerge. Sometimes, the most popular candidate also does not have the way, as part of the irony of democracy.
From consensus to indirect and direct primaries, experience has shown that party leaders, including the President, governors, chairman, and elders of the party, would have decided who to pick as candidate before validating their choice through a suitable direct primary method that protects their interest.
What shapes primaries
Sunday NGGOSSIPS notes that primaries come after months of consultations, late-night meetings with powerbrokers and the purchase of costly nomination forms by aspirants.
For many aspirants, this is the point where political ambition either crystallises into a ticket or collapses under the weight of financial demands, elite bargaining and delegate negotiations.
On paper, party primaries are democratic exercises in which delegates freely choose candidates based on competence, ideas and political vision.
But the reality is often decided long before ballots are cast.
Behind the official procedures lies a complex system of negotiations, alliances and financial inducements that quietly determine who eventually flies the party flag.
A lecturer at the Rwandan State University, Dr Abdulateef Alagbonsi, who aspired to represent Oorelope State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, told Sunday NGGOSSIPS that while primaries sometimes follow due process, they are frequently influenced by money and political leverage.
Talking from his 2011 experience as an aspirant, Alagbonsi said good CVs, manifestoes and quality leadership skills don’t win primary for any aspirant.
“Party primaries are sometimes transparent but characterised by corrupt practices. Delegates are influenced by bribes and different forms of financial inducement. They don’t choose candidates based on credible CVs or manifestos but by what the candidate offers them in cash or kind,” he said.
Hidden power of delegates
In theory, delegates represent grassroots party members and serve as the electoral college that determines candidates. In practice, however, the delegates themselves are products of intense internal struggles.
Before primaries even begin, politicians often invest heavily in party congresses where ward, local government and state executives are chosen.
The elected officials, particularly the chairman, secretary, treasurer, youth leader, women leader, later form the backbone of the delegate system, and their sponsors consider them allies who will automatically vote for them during primaries.
“Most delegates are selected from party officials. That is why politicians put enormous effort into determining who emerges as party officials during congresses, because those leaders will eventually influence who becomes the party’s candidate,” Alagbonsi explained.
The control of the party structure therefore becomes the first battleground in the race for political office. By the time primaries arrive, alliances formed months earlier often determine the direction of delegate votes.
Cost of primaries, nomination forms
Even before lobbying delegates begins, aspirants must first overcome a major financial barrier, which is the purchase of nomination and expression of interest forms.
These fees alone run into tens of millions of naira.
During the 2023 election cycle, the ruling All Progressives Congress charged governorship aspirants N50m: N10m for the expression of interest form and N40m for the nomination form.
The Peoples Democratic Party charged N21m for the same position. For many aspirants, the cost represents only the beginning of a long financial journey.
A former House of Representatives candidate under the PDP, Musa Buko, told Sunday NGGOSSIPS that the variation in pricing often reflects political calculations within parties.
“The ruling party usually sets higher fees because it enjoys the most patronage, the price acts as a screening mechanism,” he said.
Opposition parties, he explained, often keep the cost lower to attract more aspirants and broaden their political base.
While discounts are sometimes offered to women, youths and persons living with disabilities, the financial barrier remains significant.
Beyond official fees lies a far larger and less visible cost: aspirants must fund consultations with party leaders, campaign logistics, publicity, mobilisation and endorsement groups.
These logistics range from transportation for supporters and delegates to media campaigns, billboards and grassroots mobilisation.
Buko, who is also a PDP leader in Kwara State, said the financial burden of pursuing the ambition extended far beyond the official cost of nomination forms.
He said he spent well over N60m in the course of securing the party ticket and prosecuting the general election campaign.
Buko told Sunday NGGOSSIPS that although he eventually clinched the PDP ticket, he lost the general election, describing the experience as a reminder of how financially demanding Nigeria’s electoral contests have become.
Similarly, Alagbonsi recalled spending between N3m and N5m on consultations with party leaders, mobilisation of supporters across wards and logistics ahead of the primary election.
“Despite the investment and months of grassroots engagement, I eventually lost the party primary to a rival aspirant backed by stronger political structures,” he said.
A former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Benue State, Dr Alex Ter Adum, said the rising cost of political participation poses a dilemma for Nigerian democracy.
According to him, high nomination fees can discourage competent individuals from participating in politics.
“When nomination forms are too expensive, they exclude many competent people who may not have the financial capacity to purchase them. But lowering the cost also presents another challenge.
“If the process is completely open, you may have too many aspirants to manage, so parties use high nomination fees as a way to streamline participation,” he said.
When consensus is negotiated
While some primaries end with voting among delegates, others are resolved through what parties describe as consensus or adoption.
Consensus arrangements are meant to prevent internal divisions. But experience has shown that consensus often emerges from intense negotiations among political stakeholders.
According to Alagbonsi, some aspirants enter the race not necessarily to win but to negotiate withdrawal deals.
“Most aspirants are not actually interested in the position; they are tipped by more ambitious aspirants to pretend as genuine contenders and later step down before the primary,” Alagbonsi stated.
Such arrangements often involve financial settlements once an aspirant agrees to withdraw.
Though the amounts are rarely disclosed publicly, insiders say they can run into tens or even hundreds of millions of naira depending on the political office involved.
“Many of them treat the process as a business negotiation; they settle with wealthier aspirants and smile to the bank,” he said.
Buko described the process as a form of political bargaining.
“Adoption usually comes after meetings with stakeholders and negotiations; it is essentially horse-trading,” he said.
While primaries are conducted at state or constituency levels, the influence of national party leadership often shapes outcomes.
According to Alagbonsi, the selection of candidates for major offices such as president, governor and senator is frequently influenced from the national level.
“Selection of candidates for top positions is often influenced by the national leadership of the party.
“Local considerations still matter, but the balance of power between national officials and state leaders can determine whether an aspirant’s campaign survives,” he said.
Sunday NGGOSSIPS notes that in a multi-party system, only a few parties possess nationwide political structures capable of winning major elections.
As a result, aspirants often gravitate towards these dominant parties despite the high cost of participation.
“You may have smaller parties with cheaper forms. But people are attracted to parties that have strong structures and national reach,” Ter Adum said.
Beyond primary cost
Beyond nomination fees and delegate mobilisation lies a web of additional expenses that many aspirants are entangled with: campaign posters, billboards, media advertisements, rallies and political consultations all require significant funding.
Organising a single political rally, insiders say, involves renting venues, hiring sound systems, transporting supporters and providing logistics for participants.
There are also social expectations placed on political aspirants.
In many communities, once a politician declares interest in public office, residents approach them with personal requests ranging from school fees to medical assistance.
“These are costs you cannot escape, in many cases they exceed the cost of purchasing nomination forms.
“Nigeria is an impoverished country, when people hear you want to contest elections, they bring their personal problems to you,” Alagbonsi said.
When politics becomes investment
Analysts say the financial intensity of party primaries has wider implications for governance.
When aspirants spend heavily to secure party tickets, politics can begin to resemble a financial investment rather than public service.
Alagbonsi believes this partly explains why some elected officials focus on recovering campaign expenses after assuming office.
“They see supporters as people who have already been paid. So their focus becomes recovering the money they spent during the election,” he said.
The real contest begins
Yet despite the intense negotiations and financial pressures of primaries, securing a party ticket is only the beginning.
