'I won't be part of GHS420K opulence, extravagance' – Bagbin

Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin has said the GHS420,000 filing fee for flag bearer aspirants of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is a spawning ground for corruption.

Mr Bagbin, who is one of the aspirants told Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on Class91.3FM’s 505 news programme on Thursday, 29 November that the amount will sow the seeds for corruption.

All male flag bearer aspirants of the NDC are expected to cough up GHS400,000 as filing fee while their female counterparts and persons with disability pay GHS200,000 and GHS150,000 respectively. Their nomination form is going for GHS20, 000.

In the Nadowli Kaleo MP’s view, the aspirants can raise that amount, but their financiers could use it as a bait to dissipate public funds in the future.

“Any of us could try to mobilise that money because definitely, you can get in touch with people who have money to pay off, but I can tell you that is a wrong thing to do. That is the beginning of corruption that is just giving evidence to what people have been saying – ‘create, loot and share’. I am not going to be part of that, I can assure you”.

The seven-time MP said the decision taken by the party does not resonate with its own principles of a social democracy.

“I am not going to be part of this kind of opulence and show of extravagance, I will not be part of it, no!”