NDC justifies filing fee for presidential primaries

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has justified the GHC500, 000 filing fee for the party’s Presidential primaries.

The NDC catalogued a number of reasons for the half-a-million Ghana cedis fee which include the current ballooning inflation figures as compared to the last four years.

Addressing the media at the party’s Headquarters in Accra on January 18, 2023, the General Secretary of the party Fifi Kwetey indicated that there are concessions for women and persons living with disabilities.

He added that they will pay 50% of all charges should they decide to pick up forms to contest.

“Now the reason why we settle for the GHC500,000 cedis is that four years ago when we organized this same Presidential primary. We settled for a non-refundable filing fee of GHC300,000, which was four years ago.

“Now four years ago GHC300,000 given what has happened to this economy, given the complete devastation that has happened not just to our cedi. Because of the abysmal performance of the government, we have today”. GHC300,000 in 2018/19 compared to GHC500,000 today. You will in truth that this GHC500,000 is actually worth less than the GHC300,000 that we made our candidates pay four years ago,” he explained.

Fifi Kwetey further stated that although the money was not up to what they really wanted to go for, they had to consider the economy and settle for these amounts.

“It is also because we appreciate the difficulties and economic challenges this government has brought. And because of those difficulties, we felt it was not going to be too easy to just go as far as we should go if we wanted to go in real terms.

“Taking account of the high inflation and the complete depreciation that has happened to our currency and the way prices of everything have gone up. So, we actually settled for this GHC500,000 which will be made through a banker’s draft for each candidate,” he added.

Meanwhile, the party’s polls, according to the General Secretary, will also be held in areas of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lipke and Lolobi (SALL).