NDC reduces filing fee, reschedules election date

A meeting of the Council of Elders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its National Executive Committee, has cut down to GHS300,000 the filing fee for persons aspiring to be elected flagbearers for the party for the 2020 general elections, Graphic Online has learnt.

The meetingl has also extended the sale of nomination forms to Saturday, December 8, 2018 and rescheduled the date for the election of the flagbearer to January 26, 2019, initially slated for January 19, 2018.

The initial GHS400,000 announced by the National Executive Committee of the party met with protests by majority of persons known to have declared interest in contesting the role. While some called the amount too exorbitant, others called it an illegality and threatened to seek redress at all fora available to them, while some even petitioned party founder, Jerry John Rawlings, asking him to intervene.

At the close of nominations on Tuesday, five persons were known to have picked the forms or had had forms picked in their names; ex-President John Mahama, Prof. Joshua Alabi, Electrician Stephen Atubiga, Alban Bagbin, and Sylvester Mensah.

The likes of Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Mr Elipklim Agbemava, Mr Nurudeen Idrissu, Mr Kojo Bonsu, Mr Goosie Tanoh, Mr Kweku Rickets Hagan and Mr David Dotsey Kwami Kuwadah failed to pick up the nominations forms, with some of them saying they would not be part of the election if the fee was not reviewed downwards.