Don’t Be Scammed: PDP Warns Candidates Against Paying Fees Into Private Accounts

By Seyifunmi Odunuga 

​The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has unleashed a blistering warning to its candidates and stakeholders, effectively declaring war on a mounting wave of fraudulent financial directives aimed at fleecing party members under the guise of election-related fees.

​In an urgent move to stem the tide of potential victimization, the party leadership has explicitly distanced itself from any directive demanding that nomination processing fees be paid into the coffers of private companies. The PDP is signaling that any request directing candidates to bypass official, transparent party channels in favor of third-party bank accounts is not only unauthorized but a calculated attempt to defraud those vying for electoral success.

​The party’s hierarchy is expressing deep alarm, describing the solicitation as an affront to its established, constitutionally guided processes. PDP officials stressed that the party operates as a structured institution, not a private enterprise, and that it has never authorized the use of private accounts for the collection of fees tied to the issuance of Certificates of Return, the submission of INEC nomination forms, or candidate uploads.

​By pushing candidates to route funds through private entities, faceless individuals are attempting to exploit the high stakes of the electoral cycle. The party is now cautioning its members that the possession of physical forms or empty promises of portal entries are worthless if they do not originate from officially verified party procedures. The advisory is a blunt reminder that candidates who choose to bypass these safeguards are engaging in a dangerous game where they have no recourse should they fall victim to the scam.

​The leadership has maintained that transparency and due process are the bedrock of its operations. Consequently, the party is urging its members to treat any request for payment that arrives outside of official, documented channels with extreme suspicion.

​As the pressure of the political season mounts, the PDP is issuing a final, uncompromising directive: Verify every instruction through official channels before parting with a single kobo. The party has made it crystal clear that anyone who chooses to ignore this warning and proceeds to pay money into unauthorized or questionable private accounts does so entirely at their own peril, as the PDP will not stand behind those who fall for the tricks of financial predators.

​"Verify before you pay" is the message resonating through the party secretariat today, as the PDP reinforces its commitment to protecting its members from what it views as a predatory racketeering scheme.