The General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has defended the party’s decision to charge ¢400,000 as filing fees for aspirants for 2020 presidential candidate.
He explained the party intends to use the monies to be raised to organise the party’s presidential primaries slated for January 19, 2019.
“The cost of living is high but somebody must pay the cost of running the elections; who is going to pay?.
”I have not declared to be a presidential candidate so those who have declared to be presidential candidates must pay the cost”, he told journalists in Accra Thrusday.
He rejected criticism that the fee is at variance with the Social Democratic political philosophy of the NDC.
“Social democracy is not poverty,” he said and run a lesson on the party’s philosophy which he said means allowing market forces to work but still put in place mechanisms to protect those affected negatively by free market rules.
There is a field of some 10 aspirants who have expressed interest in leading the party into the 2020 presidential elections.There is the view the figure is meant to trim down the aspirants.
Apart from the 400,000 cedis for filing fee, they are to pay 20,000 cedis for picking a presidential nomination form.
Reacting to concerns that the combined 420,000 cedis to contest, the General Secretary fresh from winning an easy re-lection battle asked journalists “how much is too much?”
He said the party’s political rival the NPP charged 500,000 from flagbearer aspirants some three years ago.
Source: JFM/Ghana
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Name: Owura All that NDC leadership is saying is that, since you believe you have what it takes to lead the party to victory in 2020, then you should have at least 1000 people who will be willing to support your candidature with at least 420 Ghana Cedis to file for you. That mobilization will be an indication that you will be able to mobilize resources for an effective campaign when you win the slot. Secondly, since each aspirant is confident of winning the primaries, none should complain believing that the other contestants will eventually contribute totgekr campaigns through the filing fees- Any aspirant who complains about the filing fees should be deemed a time-waster who is simply using the party to gain popularity. Any aspirant who believes they can win over 5,000,000 Ghanaians to become President shouldn’t have a problem mobilizing resources from 1000 people to file. I call on all branch executives to open their eyes and ears wide to identify all those who will complain. That’s an obvious indication that they are there for comic relief. Meanwhile NPP paid 500,000 Ghana Cedis in 2015 for a similar exercise so I don’t even understand why NDC is charging only 400,000. Maybe because the economy was better then than now-
listen to this cassave thiiiieff son, who looted poor people monies, wait u will see one day, usessss..slesss man,
NPP filing fee for presidential primaries had never gone beyond GHC50,000.00. NDC at the time ridiculed NPP as a party for the rich and for that reason fixed their filing fee at GHC20,000.00. So what had suddenly changed for the NDC party to decide on this CREATE AND LOOT filing fee for the masses? Is it an agenda to prevent other aspirants from contesting the RICH MAHAMA JOHN DRAMANI? Oh NDC!