Nine out of Ten (10) aspirants eyeing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer position have petitioned the party’s Council of Elders over the GHc20,000 and GHc400,000 costs respectively for nomination forms and filing fees.
Alban Bagbin, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Joshua Alabi, Sylvester Mensah, Stephen Atubiga, Nurideen Iddrissu, Goosie Tanoh, Kojo Nonsu and Elikplim Agbemava, are the aspirants that have petitioned the Council.
A party document on guidelines for conduct of election, idicates that seven, who formed a majority of aspirants for a position, and feel the party’s plans ahead of an election are “inimical to the interests of the NDC.
Despite the NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, saying the fees were moderate, it prompted the petition which is in accordance with Article 24(4)(a) of the NDC Constitution, which they contend is to “prevent irreparable harm to the Party.”
Among other concerns raised are, NEC has not met the procedural requirements set out in Article 42(1)(f) of the Party Constitution for publishing Electoral Guidelines, and generally has not met standards of stakeholder consultation acceptable in a social democratic party.
They also argued that in publishing the Guidelines, NEC has “exceeded the authority vested in it by Article 42(1)(f) of the constitution, to wit imposed eligibility criteria not provided for in the Party Constitution.”
On the matter of the filing fees for candidates, they say the figure is “unreasonable” and that calls into question “our basic commitments as social democrats.”
In the petition, the nine aspirants proposed that fees for collection of forms be GHS 5,000 whiles the filing fees be GHS100,000.
They also want an endorsement period of Six (6) weeks; and a polling date shifted back to the first week of March 2019.
In a related development, The Committee for Mahama Election Two (COMET) and MPS4MAHAMA have expressed appreciation to members of the public for the “overwhelming interest” shown in the fund-raising effort towards the 2020 campaign of President John Dramani Mahama.
A statement issued by the Chairman of COMET, Ato Ahwoi, on Monday December 3, and copied to gbcghanaonline, asked members of the public willing to contribute to make donation through the short code, *713*2020*amount# on all networks or MTN mobile money number 0540 842 021.
