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PARTY FUNCTIONARIES who have the intention of contesting for positions in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region can now do so without paying a penny, as the cost covering the forms have been taken care of. A leading aspirant for the Regional Chairmanship position, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, aka Wontumi, has voluntarily absolved all expenses involving the purchase of forms for all candidates seeking to contest for positions in the NPP, including polling station and regional executive slots. The Ashanti Regional chairman of the party, Mr. Frederick Fredua Antoh, who confirmed the information during an interview on ASHH FM in Kumasi on Tuesday, said he had received full amount, covering the cost of forms from the leading NPP candidate, who is also the party�s Constituency chairman for the Bosomtwe Constituency. Chairman Wontumi, as he is affectionately called, reportedly offered to absorb every amount of money that could have been accrued from the sale of forms and has, therefore, asked all potential candidates at the polling station level to pick their nomination forms for free. Mr. Antoh revealed during the interview that the Bosomtwe Constituency Chairman and the aspiring regional chairman has paid a whopping GH�45, 000.00 to cover for over 14,000 forms, and added that the amount has been forwarded to the National Headquarters in Accra. Expressing his amazement at the gesture, Mr. Antoh, who has willingly decided not to seek re-election, said he has never witnessed such an offer in his many years of service to the party and commended the aspiring chairman for his benevolence. The gesture means that all potential candidates in the Ashanti Region, vying to contest for positions at the polling stations, will not be required to pay anything to acquire forms to file their nominations. Explaining the rationale behind the benevolent move in a follow up interview with the paper, Chairman Wontumi said it was part of his contribution towards motivating supporters and functionaries at the grassroots level, so that they can work hard to ensure victory for the party. He further indicated that it was also to support the flagbearer of the party for the 2012 elections, Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo, whose selflessness ensured the involvement of polling station executives in the election of presidential candidates. The aspiring chairman noted that there are lots of functionaries of the party at the grassroots level who are willing to serve the party as polling station executives that may not have the wherewithal to purchase forms, due to lack of money. He said by absorbing the cost, he was hopeful that a lot more competent and dedicated party members would be willing to offer themselves to the service of the party. Asked if it was not a gimmick to bolster his chances of winning the regional chairmanship slot, Chairman Wontumi said the polling station election had nothing to do with that of the regional polls, stressing that polling station executives do not participate in the decision of who becomes a regional executive member. �Polling station and ward executives do not vote in the regional congress; they only take part in the selection of the flagbearer of the party and so paying for them does not in any way enhance my chances of winning the regional chairman position,� he emphasized. According to him, his main purpose is to help Nana Akufo-Addo�s presidency by first making sure he wins the flagbearership and subsequently the 2016 general elections. He, therefore, appealed to all supporters and interested groups within the party to run a clean campaign devoid of insults and mudslinging, so that the party can come out of the congress very strong and ready to confront the 2016 elections. �For me, our common opponent is the NDC and not ourselves; the earlier we realize that the better it would be for the electoral fortunes of the party,� he stressed.