NPP blows ¢40 billion on internal elections

As the opposition New Patriotic Party considers proposals on how to minimise the cost of its internal elections, The New Statesman has learnt that the total cost of electing leaders of the party is said to be within the range of GHc30 million to GHc40 million (40 billion old Ghana cedis).

Sources at the National Headquarters told the paper that the NPP has to mobilize, from within itself, some GHc30 to 40 million to satisfy its internal processes through the organisation of a series of elections, from the polling station level to the selection of a Presidential Candidate for the general election.

This, according to the source, leaves the party “empty handed in the face of the main battle.”

In view of this, the source explained, the party is looking critically at the cost of its current internal processes.

Investigations carried out by the paper reveals that the NPP will need to mobilise a minimum of some GHc27 million to cover the election related costs of the selection of party executives, stage parliamentary primaries; and to cover election administration in a presidential primary.

In addition to this, Members of Parliament have to spend so much money and energy in their bid to be re-elected.

Our investigations have revealed that a Member of Parliament has to spend a minimum of GHc250,000 and as high as GHc300,000 in a parliamentary primary in his or her bid to gain re-election.

“The result is they never have enough resources to expand our appeal in the constituencies. In our strongholds this probably does not pose such a danger to the MPs as they end up getting re-elected, but it damages our competition for presidential votes: The MPs are broke and exhausted after their primaries and don’t organize and don’t campaign for the presidential slot,” sources in the party has told the paper.

In view of this, the source added, the NPP is considering proposals on the way forward with regards to reducing the cost of internal elections, so as to ensure the party is ready for the December 2016 elections.