The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Director for Chicago in the USA, Richard Ahiagbah has described as an “elimination by rough tactics“, decision by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to charge a GHC400,000 filing fee.
Mr Ahaigba suspects the decision is a deliberate attempt to deny some flagbearer hopefuls without financial spines, the opportunity to contest for the position.
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“This decision they have taken is just elimination by rough tactics to prevent other hopefuls from contesting. This process is not democratic. It is an organised use of money to eliminate people from participating in democracy and this is criminal,” he alleged.
Mr Ahiagbah was speaking on Adom FM’s morning show “Dwso Nsem” Friday.
He has particularly accused the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, of masterminding the act.
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He alleged that Mr Nketia had orchestrated the move in order to allow his boss, former President John Mahama, to go unopposed.
“They intentionally elected Asiedu Nketia and the rest of the executives who are Mahama candidates and planned to charge that exorbitant fee just to please Mahama. Asiedu is the chief planner because they don’t want anyone to contest Mahama,” he asserted.
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Aside from the filing fee, the hopefuls will also have to pay GHC20,000 to pick their forms to contest in the race scheduled for January 19, 2019. The amount will, however, be halved for women and aspirants with physical disabilities.
But Mr Ahiagbah described the amount as absurd and immoral.
He said if the NDC went ahead to charge the fee, they will not have any moral grounds to fight the NPP over corruption.
