GHC420,000 Filling Fee: I am visually impaired - Spio-Garbrah

NDC Presidential hopeful Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has said he will file his nomination as a disabled candidate since he is visually impaired.

“Speaking for myself, I am visually impaired and totally fall into that category. We knew how much, until recently, ministers of state and MPs were receiving by way of remuneration. After filing, I would expect all aspirants to show their tax returns as proof of legitimacy.

“We must not behave as if we live in isolation. We do not even know what went into this. It is out of line for a social democratic party,” Mr. Spio-Garbrah told the Daily Graphic after the GHC400,000 filing fee was announced by the party on Thursday.

The party has announced it will half the cost of the filing fee for candidates who are physically challenged.

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress Johnson Asiedu Nketia has defended the party’s decision to charge a staggering GHC400,000 filing fee for presidential aspirants.

According to him, the amount is to cater for the cost of running the polls in all 275 constituencies across the country.

Speaking to Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Friday, Mr. Nketia said the move is also to enable the candidates exhibit their ability to raise funds since a nominee becomes leader of the party once he becomes the candidate.

“We don’t expect them to cough this amount from their accounts, but they are the lead fundraisers for the party so they must prove their capability to raise funds for the party. The candidate becomes the leader of the party so he or she must show that they can raise funds for the party.

“I disagree with anyone who thinks that raising money to file nomination encourages corruption. If the system wants to discourage corruption then we must all talk about possible means of doing so”.