Despite an 800% increase in filing fees for presidential aspirants, deputy National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary has insisted that the largest opposition party is not a business venture.
“The NDC is not a money-making institution… it is an association…and so members of the political party that contribute money to run the party,” Barbara Serwaa Asamoah said on Top Story Thursday.
This was after Richard Quashigah, a spokesperson for one of the flagbearer aspirants, Prof. Joshua Alabi, said the decision to charge ¢400,000 for filing and ¢20,000 for picking a nomination form is “mind-boggling.”
From ¢50,000 in 2016 when the NDC was in power, the party in opposition has now asked for ¢400,000 for those interested in leading the party into the 2020 general elections.
The campaign spokesperson said the fee is very “unNDC” referring to the party’s posture as a social democratic party.
Photo: NDC members at the party’s 9th National Delegates Congress.
“We don’t need to be seen to be making money an issue,” he told host of Top Story Evans Mensah and said the aspirants are “obviously very concerned” about the charges. He however insisted, his candidate Prof. Joshua Alabi remains “unstoppable.”
The deputy General Secretary Barbara Asamoah said the party does not expect the aspirants to personally pay the fees.
The fee is not a betrayal of the party’s social democratic principles, she said buttressing a defence mounted earlier by the General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia,
Barbara Asamoah explained social democracy means the haves must support the haves-not.
In this case, the aspirants numbering at least 10 should identify those who have and get them to contribute.
“Those who have should cushion those who don’t have,” she said.
She said if each aspirant could identify two party members or sympathisers in each of the 275 constituencies to contribute ¢1,000 each the money will be raised.
The politician said “a lot of thinking” went into determining the fee. The National Executive Committee, representatives from each region and the party’s parliamentary leadership.
Barbara Asamoah said the NDC presidential primaries will involve a very large number of delegates and money is needed to ensure the process is successful.
Close to 400,000 party members are expected to choose a flagbearer in a race that could involve at least 10 aspirants.
“It will be very, very difficult for us to be able to see a very successful congress where everybody will have the opportunity to participate.”
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