By Chukwuma Agu
The Ohanaeze Youth Council (OYC), the apex sociocultural youth organisation of Igbo youths worldwide, has strongly condemned the ₦30 million nomination form fixed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Local Government Chairmanship election in Ebonyi State, describing it as anti-youth and detrimental to democratic growth.
Reacting on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the National President General of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, Comrade Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of pursuing policies that deliberately exclude credible and capable youths from participating in grassroots governance.
According to him, the exorbitant nomination fee is a calculated strategy designed to deter competent aspirants while opening the political space to mediocre individuals with questionable intentions, thereby undermining political and economic development in the state.
Comrade Igboayaka lamented that the governor’s advisers were misleading him into adopting policies that alienate Ebonyi youths from active political participation. He recalled that Governor Nwifuru himself benefited from a more inclusive political environment in the past, noting that during the 2007–2011 period, the governor could not have afforded such an outrageous nomination fee when he contested for the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
He described the ₦30 million nomination form as a clear example of anti-youth policy, warning that it risks creating a dangerous disconnect between the governor and the youths of Ebonyi State.
The Ohanaeze Youth leader called on Governor Nwifuru to urgently review the policy and adopt an open-door approach by reducing the APC Chairmanship nomination fee to ₦150,000 and councillorship forms to ₦50,000, in order to encourage youth participation and promote credible leadership at the local government level.
Comrade Igboayaka further warned that politicians who spend exorbitant sums to secure local government tickets may resort to misappropriation of public funds if elected, stressing that such a system breeds corruption rather than good governance.
He questioned the sustainability of the policy, asking how a local government chairman’s salary and allowances could justify the huge cost of nomination forms and campaign expenses, adding that the policy could ultimately produce “political monsters” who would drain public resources across the 13 local government areas of Ebonyi State.
The Ohanaeze Youth Council urged the governor to reconsider the policy in the interest of youth inclusion, democratic development, and the future of Ebonyi State.
