The African Action Congress (AAC) has demanded for the immediate withdrawal of what it describes as arbitrary charges levied against candidates running in Benue State's impending Local Government Area (LGA) elections on October 5, 2024.

According to the AAC, the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) has requested that chairmanship aspirants pay N500,000 and councillors pay N250,000.

In addition to these expenses, the BSIEC is reportedly charging handling fees of N115,000 and N90,000 for chairmanship and councillor candidates, respectively.

The AAC Chairman, Rex I. Elanu, released a statement urging Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, to intercede and ensure the prompt withdrawal of these charges.

Elanu referred to the payments as "unruly extortion" and an attempt to undermine fairness and equity in democratic processes.

"It has become necessary to address and oppose the ruling APC's counter-democratic ploy in Benue State ahead of the upcoming LGA elections."

"These charges are set up to discourage candidates who are not financially privileged from participating in the elections," according to a statement.

The AAC chastised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for imposing hefty nomination costs on political aspirants, contrasting it with the AAC's policy of issuing free nomination forms to its candidates.

The party claimed that the high cost of politics in Nigeria should not deter potential leaders from taking part in the democratic process.

The party urged Governor Alia to act in the spirit of fairness and democracy, guaranteeing that all candidates, regardless of financial circumstances, "have a level playing field in the upcoming elections."