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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.