NDC presidential primary: Kojo Bonsu files nomination
A former Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Kojo Bonsu, has filed his nomination forms to contest the flag bearer election of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), with an assurance to breathe a new lease of life into the party to recapture power in 2024.
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After paying the GH¢500,000 filing fee yesterday, Mr Bonsu was given all-clear signal by the election management committee (EMC) to prepare for vetting – the last hurdle to clear ahead of the party primaries scheduled for May 13, this year.
Mr Bonsu submitted the completed triplicate nomination forms together with the filing fee in bankers draft to the election management committee of the NDC at the party headquarters in Accra.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, received the forms.
He was flanked by other members of the election committee such as the Communications Director of NDC and chairman of the EMC, Kakra Essamuah; a former Director of Elections of the party, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah; and the Member of Parliament for Odododiodio, Nii Lante Vanderpuye.
Commendation
After scrutinising the documents presented by Mr Bonsu for a brief moment, the team indicated that the former KMA mayor had met the requirements.
“We have checked your nomination forms and bankers draft and can certify that you have met the requirements; so go ahead and prepare for vetting,” he said.
Mr Kwetey commended team Bonsu for conducting a decent campaign so far and urged them to continue on that trajectory to ensure that the internal contest was devoid of rancour.
He reiterated that the common enemy the party was fighting was the New Patriotic Party (NPP), so it was important for the party to emerge from the internal contest more united.
Atmosphere
Before Mr Bonsu and his team arrived at the party headquarters at 12:28 pm, his teeming supporters had converged there amid singing and dancing.
They performed the kete dance, a traditional dance of the Ashantis.
Members of the team, who were dressed mainly in white attire, included the campaign spokesperson, Mohammed Alhassan, and his personal secretary, Bismark Mensah.
The charged atmosphere reached a crescendo when Mr Bonsu joined the predominantly women dancers to perform the kete dance to the admiration of the gathering.
Assurance
Addressing journalists shortly after presenting his nomination forms, Mr Bonsu assured members of the NDC that he was the man cut for the job of flag bearer of the party.
He said having been an integral part of the party over the decades, he had gathered enormous experience to give the party a new lease of life to recapture power.
He said there were a lot of things that must change in the NDC to make it more attractive.
Mr Bonsu observed that the NDC was a grassroots party so it was unacceptable that the filing fee had been pegged at GH¢500,000.
He said such a move defeated the party's tag as a mass party.
Mr Bonsu said he would create constituency offices across the country to re-energise the party’s base.
He also said he would prioritise job creation for the teeming NDC youth in what he described as the new testament of the party.
Mr Bonsu also said he would ensure that there was a bottom up approach in the governance of the party and Ghana, where power would rest with the masses of the people.
He urged all delegates of the party to give him the mandate on May 13 to renew hope for the country.