NPP presidential aspirants to pay GH¢85,000 - Ghana

 

Persons nursing presidential ambition in the opposition New Patriotic Party are likely to pay a total GH¢85,000 each to contest the party’s primaries.

The National Executive Committee of the party after a crunch meeting on Thursday proposed GH¢75,000 as the filing fees. They also recommended GH¢10,000 for nomination forms.

NPP’s National Organiser John Boadu told Joy News NEC is expected to meet again tomorrow because “we did not finally agree on a lot of the issues”. Tomorrow's meeting is expected to come to a consensus on rules, regulations and modalities for electing the presidential candidate of the party, he said.

However, he added, the proposal is subject to the approval by the party’s National Council.

He said the National Executive Committee is expected to convene a National Council meeting Friday to finalise the modalities for the presidential election.

 The NEC could not arrive at a decision when the nomination forms would be opened because “the actual mandate belongs to the national council”, John Boadu explained.

He hopes the Council would take a decision early and authorize the General Secretary to open nomination for the election of the flag-bearer for the 2016 general elections.

According to the party’s constitution, it is supposed to hold presidential primaries not less than 24 months to the next election when it is in opposition.  Tentatively, the party is looking at having its primaries before December 6, the National Organiser suggested.

 He also said processes to the primaries should start six months before the presidential primaries.

Due to the expanded Electoral College, voting would be done at the constituency level, he added.

Many of the party's big wigs including the two-time presidential candidate of the party, Nana Akufo-Addo, Alan Kyerematen, Prof. Frimpong Boateng, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and Asamoah Boateng have expressed their intention to contest the presidential slot.