2027 Politics: How Money, Godfathers Shut Out Young People From Major Parties

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.

According to them, many aspiring young politicians now either seek sponsorship from political godfathers or quietly abandon their ambitions.

One of the affected aspirants, Oronsanyo Robert Uyi, 44, from Edo State, said he initially planned to contest the House of Representatives seat for Ovia Federal Constituency under the APC.

Uyi told LEADERSHIP Sunday that his decision to seek office was driven by a desire to contribute to governance and demonstrate that younger Nigerians could compete beyond traditional political structures.

However, he said his experience within the political process exposed the financial and structural realities confronting many aspiring politicians.

According to him, after struggling with internal party arrangements and the financial expectations of securing participation, he later joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress, believing a smaller platform would offer a more accessible route.

But he said the burden did not disappear. Uyi explained that, despite switching parties, the costs of consultations, mobilisation, and meeting nomination requirements still made it difficult to sustain his ambition.

He said the experience forced him to step back and reconsider participation.

“Young people are encouraged to participate in politics, but the process is dominated by money and influence,” he said.

According to Uyi, the challenge facing many younger aspirants is not a lack of ideas or readiness to serve, but the rising cost of remaining politically competitive.

He argued that unless parties deliberately lower barriers to entry and strengthen internal democracy, many capable young Nigerians would continue to remain outside the political process.

Political analysts say such concerns reflect a broader debate over whether access to Nigeria’s political space is becoming increasingly determined by financial strength rather than political ideas.

Dr Christian Okeke, a political scientist and lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, said the challenge confronting young politicians goes beyond age and points more to economic realities.

In an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, Okeke argued that the current political structure does not necessarily favour older politicians but rather individuals with access to financial resources.

“The status quo does not favour young people per se. It favours those with deep pockets. Nomination and expression of interest forms have become things only moneybags can afford,” he said.

According to him, those who benefit from access to public resources and established political structures often enjoy an advantage during party nominations.

Okeke added that consensus arrangements adopted by some political parties increasingly tilt the process in favour of established interests. He said that while younger Nigerians remain active in voting and political mobilisation, participation in elective contests is becoming more difficult because of financial barriers.

According to him, political experience is also becoming difficult to acquire in an environment where established political actors rarely create room for generational transition.

Cynthia Mbamalu, Director of Programmes at Yiaga Africa, said reducing financial barriers to youth participation requires both legislative reforms and changes within political parties.

She argued that creating an inclusive nomination process goes beyond reducing nomination fees.

According to Mbamalu, many primary election processes continue to suffer from weak transparency and credibility, leaving a few party power brokers with enormous influence over outcomes.

“Young people are faced with both financial barriers and a process that is designed to exclude them even after they have crossed the financial hurdle,” she said.

She called for reforms to candidate nomination processes through amendments to electoral laws and stronger internal policies within political parties.

Mbamalu also advocated a more detailed legal framework that clearly defines procedures for party primaries and imposes limits on nomination costs.

She further argued for broader regulation of political parties to improve transparency and accountability.

According to her, experiences from recent elections and preparations for the 2027 electoral cycle reveal persistent concerns around high nomination costs, weak primaries and candidate imposition.

Former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, also expressed concern over barriers to meaningful democratic participation.

Speaking during the 2026 Annual Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abuja Branch, Adoke said democracy should not be measured only by the conduct of elections but by the degree of public confidence and access created by the political process.

According to him, participation includes not only the right to vote but also the right to seek office under fair and transparent conditions.

Adoke said financial barriers, weak internal party democracy and excessive monetisation increasingly limit access to political competition.

“The cost of expression of interest and nomination forms should not be used to eliminate candidates from political contests deliberately,” he said.

He warned that where participation becomes limited by financial considerations, democracy risks becoming procedural rather than representative. However, political parties insist nomination fees should not automatically be interpreted as exclusion.

The Publicity Secretary of APC in Jigawa State, Alhaji Bashir Kundu, defended the cost of nomination forms, saying they reflect the realities of modern campaigns.

Kundu told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the fees were not intended to deny citizens their constitutional rights but to ensure aspirants understand the financial responsibilities associated with elections.

According to him, political contests require extensive resources beyond merely purchasing forms.

“If someone cannot afford a N50 million governorship nomination form, how does such a person intend to campaign across all 27 local government areas, establish structures across over 287 political wards and deploy agents during elections?” he asked.

Kundu maintained that electioneering involves logistics and mobilisation that serious aspirants must be ready to finance.

“To contest a political position, you need to have the financial capability to sponsor and bear the logistics involved during the campaign and election period,” he added.

Reacting to concerns over rising nomination fees, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, admitted that the costs had become excessive.

According to him, political parties operating on lean resources often resort to higher nomination charges to sustain their activities.

“The nomination fees are actually outrageous, but political parties are surviving on lean resources. The lack of government support has left many parties dependent on members with deep pockets,” he said.

Dantalle called on the government to review existing frameworks and create opportunities that would make political participation easier for younger Nigerians.

As parties continue preparations for 2027, the debate over who can realistically afford political participation is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

For many young Nigerians seeking office, the challenge may no longer be whether they have ideas to lead, but whether they can afford the price of entry.