Joshua Alabi
JOSHUA Alabi, a contender in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential race, has announced that he will cough up a whopping GH¢300,000 to the party today and take part in the party’s upcoming polls.
He protested vehemently against the astronomical figure that the NDC is demanding as filing fee from its presidential candidates, but he stated that he has no other option than to pay.
“The filing fee is exorbitant but since the party leadership is not ready to reduce it, I have no other option that to pay on Monday in order to take part in the election”, Joshua Alabi disclosed on Kumasi-based Nhyira FM on Saturday.
He stated that he is the best person to lead the NDC to wrest political power from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2020, for which reason he has decided to cough up the GH¢300,000 because he doesn’t want money to kill his political ambition.
According to him, he has friends – NDC members and family members – that also believe in his ambition to become president on the ticket of the NDC in 2020, and they have also made cash and other donations to help him sustain his great ambition.
Joshua Alabi therefore said that he doesn’t feel perturbed or threatened when there are reports that ex-President John Dramani Mahama, a contender in the NDC presidential race, is receiving financial help from some party members.
He alleged that some of the NDC gurus and Members of Parliament (MPs) that have openly declared their support for Mr. Mahama, have also visited him (Alabi) secretly in his house to pledge their unflinching support for him.
Ashanti Tour
Joshua Alabi, who was on a campaign tour in the Ashanti Region to canvass for votes, indicated that based on the way he was received in the region, he can confidently say that he is the obvious choice for the NDC delegates as flagbearer for the 2020 elections.
According to him, some of the NDC delegates that were yet to make a decision on who to vote for quickly settled on him as their obvious choice to lead the party after he had outlined his vision to transform the party to them.
Sure Of Victory
Mr. Alabi said nothing can prevent him from emerging as winner in the upcoming NDC presidential race, saying “my campaign message is spreading fast like bushfire among the NDC delegates across the country”.
According to him, he doesn’t believe in “fanfare politics” which has created a wrong perception that the candidates that have been making a lot of noise in the media are winning the race “but that is a fallacy because I am ahead in the race”.
He said: “Some NDC gurus initially said Mr. Mahama is the obvious choice to lead the party, but it may surprise you to know that these same people were putting pressure on some of us to step aside for Mr. Mahama to go unopposed. This is very surprising”.
According to him, he is the right person to lead the NDC as flagbearer now, recounting his positive contributions to the education, sports and other sectors in the country over the years, which have pushed Ghana to its present state.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi