NDC should not use money as main criterion for selecting a leader - Spio-Garbrah

Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, flagbearer aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has on Monday counseled the party in Accra against using money as a principle for selecting a leader.

He said charging high filing fees from potential leaders would give pointers for other organisations to emulate.

Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, speaking to press men on Monday maintained that charging candidates, who are aspiring for leadership positions, exorbitant fees is wrong and would become a bad precedent in Ghana.

He said "Suddenly people will become interested in democratic issues involved in filing fees...and the next time National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) or UTAG or GNAT are also going to have their elections, somebody is going to use filing fees as a means of testing whether you are a potential good leader or not. If you are not able to find that money, then it means you are not a good potential leader. That is the issue we are dealing with which people don't seem to understand."

The former diplomat and political strategist who has been speaking to delegates across the country with his Seven-Point-Agenda (Message) joined hands with seven other disgruntled aspirants for the flagbearership position, to petition the party's Council of Elders to reduce the filing fee pegged at Ghc 400, 000 by the Functional Executives Committee (FEC) to Ghc 150, 000.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah has been serving the NDC from 1993 to date in various capacities as Ambassador, Minister of State in different Ministries bemoaned charging high filing fees saying it is deviation from the philosophy of the NDC as a social democratic party.

He has been saying filing fees should be pegged at the increment or decrease of commodity prices in the country.

He and the other petitioners do not understand why branch chairmen paid Ghc 5 as filing fees, Constituency Chairmen Ghc 500, Regional Chairmen Ghc 5, 000 and National chairmen Ghc 10, 000, and then Flagbearer aspirants should pay filing fee of Ghc 400, 000 which is unjustifiably increased by 400% from Ghc 50, 000.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah who intends to file his nomination on Tuesday under protest is demonstrating to Ghanaians, especially the youth that the NDC intends to be a law-abiding and Constitution-respecting Government when next in power.