NPP, NDC splash cash despite current economic challenges

While the economy is in distress and ordinary Ghanaians complain of hard times, the two biggest political parties – the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) – are spending lavishly on their internal party elections.

For the NDC, the attraction of power and its accompanying benefits have made the race tight as aspirants go to all lengths to win elections.

For the NPP, which sees the challenges facing the country as an opportunity to capture power in 2016, being an executive in the party is key to benefiting from government should the party win in 2016.

The Finder’s calculations revealed that the expansion of the NPP’s Electoral College to deepen grassroots participation in the selection of its national, regional and constituency officers, as well as its presidential candidate, has hiked the cost of seeking elections in the party.

Currently, a presidential aspirant needs not less than Ghc5 million to seek elections in the party.

Each aspirant paid a filing fee of Ghc75,000 after paying an initial Ghc10,000 to pick nomination forms. Buying fuel to criss-cross the 275 constituencies has been estimated to cost at least Ghc200,000.

It is also estimated that a candidate would spend conservatively an average of Ghc100,000 on his campaign team.

All these estimates do not include money spent on media, publicity and advertising, which is also estimated to cost about Ghc50,000.

An aspirant who is able to meet all 140,000 delegates and gives at least Ghc20 for transportation per person would have spent about Ghc2.8 million.

Not less than Ghc50,000 will be spent on printing of T-shirts, posters and flyers as well as other paraphernalia.

Nana Akufo-Addo’s and Alan Kyerematen’s camps, the two leading contenders in the race, have accused each other of influencing delegates with money, quoting Ghc100 per delegate.

Even though the NDC has fewer delegates compared to the NPP, accusations of vote buying abound.

The NDC is yet to announce whether nominations would be opened for the presidential race or if President John Mahama would be acclaimed as the candidate for 2016.

However, internal elections for national, regional and constituency elections are ongoing, and the news from all over the country is not good.

In the event that the party opens nominations for presidential primaries, the race will be so competitive that the aspirants could even spend more, despite the fact that they face fewer delegates.

The National Chairman of the NDC, Dr Kwabena Adjei, accused his main opponent in the party’s chairmanship race, Mr Kofi Portuphy, of inducing delegates with rice, cooking oil, mattresses, and cash, among others.

The NDC chairman did not mince words at all when he described his main contender for the party’s chairman position as “an enemy within” who must be cast out if the party wants to retain power in 2016.

Mr Portuphy’s camp, in reply, also accused Dr Adjei of sharing goodies, including motorbikes, to influence delegates to retain him.

Affluence in the NDC has been taken to a different level by promises in the Greater Accra chairmanship race, which is the most competitive so far.

For example, aspiring Greater Accra Regional chairman of National Democratic Congress (NDC), Stephen Akwetey has commenced the construction of office complexes for the 34 constituencies in the region from his own resources.

Mr Akwetey began the move on Sunday, September 28, 2014 when he cut sod for the construction of the offices at the Shai Osudoku constituency in the region.