From Paul Osuyi, Asaba

LOCAL government chairmanship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State are to cough out a non-refundable fee of N1 million to obtain the party’s nomination forms.

Councillorship aspirants across the 25 Local Government Areas (LGA) will also pay the sum of N200, 000 for the nomination forms. 

  However, the nomination fees are not applicable to female aspirants, who will be allowed to contest the party’s primaries without paying a dime.

Chairman of the PDP in the state, Kingsley Esiso, who disclosed these in Asaba, explained that the party decided to offer nomination forms free of charge to female aspirants in order to encourage women to seek elective positions at the third tier of government.

  He appealed to the party’s leadership at every local government level to reserve at least three councillorship slots for female aspirants to further encourage women participation in the election.

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  Esiso, who addressed newsmen on the party’s timetable for the council elections slated for January 6, 2018, revealed that candidates to fly PDP flag would emerge this month.

  Insisting that there would be no imposition of candidates, Esiso said the party has already made internal arrangements to reduce the number of aspirants through consensus or mock primaries at the ward and local government levels.

  This, he explained, would greatly discourage rancorous primaries, saying the number of aspirants would have significantly dropped.

  “Mock primaries or/and consensus arrangement are geared towards reaching a common ground and avoiding unnecessary spending of money by aspirants. 

  “We have asked our leaders to harmonise in their various wards. But that does not stop anybody who is not satisfied with the outcome of such arrangement from obtaining nomination forms to contest the party’s primaries,” Esiso said.