The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has slapped GH¢400,000 on its presidential aspirants as filing fee, making the race a survival of the fittest with money playing a major role.
Apart from the filing fee, the aspirants are also expected to pay an additional GH¢20,000 to pick nomination forms to contest the race which has been scheduled for January 19, 2019.
Female presidential aspirants, as well as persons with disability aspiring for the same position, are to pay GH¢200,000.
The huge filing fee is already causing uproar in the rank and file of the party, who believe that the party is up for sale to the highest bidder.
There are about 11 aspirants challenging former President John Dramani Mahama.
They are former Rector of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA), Joshua Alabi; former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Sylvester Mensah; ex-Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin; a banker and oil and gas consultant, Nurideen Iddrisu; Member of Parliament (MP) for Cape Coast South, George Kwaku Ricketts Hagan; a member of the NDC’s communication team, Stephen Atubiga; Lawyer Elikplim Agbemava; David Dotse Kwame Kuwadah and Goosie Tanoh, a cadre.
The filing fee and the amount for picking forms were announced at a press conference held by the NDC yesterday in Accra and addressed by the General-Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
He said the money raised from the candidates would be used to hold the election.
The presidential hopefuls are supposed to pick the nomination forms at the cost of GH¢20,000 whilst the GH¢400,000 will be paid when the forms are being submitted.
These fees were announced after a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Wednesday.
The NDC has slated January 19, 2019, for the election of a flagbearer for the 2020 general elections.
Weeks after the party’s National Delegates’ Congress in Accra, party members have been in the dark as to when the election of the flagbearer will take place – a contest that was originally scheduled for 7th December, 2018.
With the announcement, it means the aspirants now have the option to either dole out the huge cash for a position some of them may never win or pull out of the race to save themselves from spending such an amount.
Sharp Increment
With the current GH¢400,000 filing fee, it means that the NDC has added a whopping GH¢ 350,000 to the GH¢50,000 charged presidential aspirants in 2015 when Mr. Mahama was the sole candidate.
The reason for the sharp increment in the filing fee is unclear but some political pundits believe the move is to pave way for Mr Mahama to win the polls by getting rid of other aspirants who may not be able to pay the amount.
This is happening at a time when some aspirants are entertaining fears that the party’s top executives are scheming to retain ex-President Mahama as NDC flagbearer for 2020, with the party’s National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, indicating recently that the former president’s challengers are unfit and that Mahama is currently the “most marketable” candidate for the party.
The election was put on hold to allow the newly elected national officers of the party some time to plan for the presidential primaries.
It would be recalled that the NDC, a couple of weeks ago, held its delegates’ congress at the Trade Fair Centre and elected new national officers.
Samuel Ofosu Ampofo was elected the party’s national chairman at the congress.
Programmes
According to the roadmap put forward by the party, picking of nomination forms is scheduled for 3rd and 4th December, 2018; filing of nomination -13th and 14th December, 2018; vetting – 17th and 18th December, 2018; balloting -18th December, 2018; appeals – 18th – 21st December, 2018; notice of polls – 27th December, 2018 – 3rd January, 2019; notice of elections 29th December 2018.
BY Melvin Tarlue & Daniel Bampoe