As preparations for the 2027 elections gather pace, ADEMU IDAKWO examines how rising political costs are pushing young people to the margins.
For many young Nigerians hoping to contest elective offices ahead of the 2027 general elections, the biggest political obstacle may no longer be popularity, competence, or public acceptance, but the rising cost of entering the race.
Across major political parties, nomination fees running into millions of naira, entrenched networks of influence and internal party calculations are increasingly shaping who gets access to the ballot and who is left behind.
Interviews, party documents and stakeholder accounts reviewed by LEADERSHIP Sunday indicate that, despite years of public commitments to youth inclusion and reforms aimed at widening political participation, many young aspirants continue to face financial and structural barriers that make political ambition difficult to sustain.
The development has triggered renewed debate over whether Nigeria’s political system is expanding democratic participation or merely preserving access for those with financial strength and established political connections.
Investigations further revealed that the high cost of nomination and expression of interest forms for Presidential, gubernatorial, Senate, and House of Representatives positions remains one of the earliest hurdles confronting many aspiring politicians.
Checks by LEADERSHIP Sunday showed that in the 2027 election cycle, the ruling APC set the fee for its presidential nomination and expression of interest forms at N100 million.
Governorship aspirants on the APC platform paid N50 million, while senate aspirants were charged N20 million.
House of Representatives aspirants paid N10 million, while state House of Assembly forms cost N2 million.
Similarly, the PDP fixed the combined cost of its presidential expression of interest and nomination forms at N40 million.
Governorship aspirants on the PDP platform paid N21 million, Senate aspirants N3.5 million, House of Representatives aspirants N2.5 million, while state assembly aspirants paid about N600,000.
Although the ADC maintained relatively lower nomination costs than the APC and PDP, some youth aspirants said financial demands associated with consultations, mobilisation, and delegate politics still placed participation beyond the reach of many young Nigerians.
For 40-year-old Muhammad Indimi, a candidate of the ADC contesting the State House of Assembly seat to represent Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, lower nomination costs offer some relief compared to those of larger political parties.
Indimi told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the ADC’s nomination form and related charges did not exceed N2.5 million, which he described as considerably lower than costs within larger parties.
According to him, nomination costs for comparable contests in the APC stood at about N6 million, a figure he argued could be beyond the reach of many younger aspirants.
He said that although political parties require funding to sustain their activities, excessive nomination fees continue to create barriers against youth participation.
Indimi argued that many young Nigerians possess leadership capacity and ideas but are unable to translate their political ambition into participation due to financial constraints.
“Once nomination forms become too expensive, participation becomes limited to those with financial strength and many young people are pushed out before the contest even begins,” he said.
Several youth politicians who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday said the structure of party politics increasingly favours wealthy aspirants and individuals backed by influential political figures.
Some alleged that, beyond nomination forms, huge unofficial expenses tied to consultations, mobilisation and delegate negotiations further raise the cost of participation.
