Only 'thieves' see filing fee as insignificant - Konadu

Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings has said that only thieves will describe the filing fee charged by the Electoral Commission (EC) as paltry.

Speaking in an interview with the media shortly after she submitted her nomination forms, the former First Lady described the filing fee for both the presidential and parliamentary candidates as overboard and surprising.

When asked if she was surprised at the fee charged by the EC, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings said, "If anybody is in Ghana and was not surprised at the filing fee; then is someone whose got a lot of money or stolen a lot of money or whatever."

According to her, the important thing for us as a people, is to run a democracy and a democracy doesn't mean monetocracy. "And so if somebody doesn't have the money, and have the ability, to lead their people, you are saying that just because they don't have the money, they shouldn't give it an attempt? I think it will not be fair.

Our position has been straight that we [NDP] felt that, it was overboard, and at the same to me, it shows clearly that our monetary system in Ghana today, had jumped within four years from a thousand to ten thousand, which means that the economy is going down. That's what it means."

Nana Konadu in as answer to whether she was not being sarcastic because she's being able to file despite the downturn as she claimed, said, its not a matter of having money in our pocket to come and file but I'm stating our position on the filing fee.

The EC on September 8, 2016 announced the new figure for both the presidential and parliamentary candidates. Presidential aspirants are to pay GHC50, 000 cedis while parliamentary aspirants are expected to pay GHC 10, 000 cedis.

Presidential candidates per the directive are expected to garner 25 per cent of the votes while a parliamentary candidate is also expected to secure a 12.5 percent of the parliamentary votes or have their monies confiscated . But the collection of the fees have been suspended by the EC due to the suit iled against it by the Progressive People's Party (PPP).

The Progressive People's Party (PPP) has filed a motion for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the Electoral Commission (EC) and its assigns from collecting the Ghc50,000.00 and Ghc10,000.00 as filing fees for the Presidential and Parliamentary elections respectively. According to the party the fee is ''exorbitant'' and that it is unacceptable for the EC to be charging that figure.

The party argues, their action is good for our democracy so that our multi-party system will not be sold to the highest bidder. ''It is unacceptable for the EC to be charging such exorbitant fees when the daily minimum wage in Ghana is Ghc8.00. As Progressives, we must not remain silent for evil to triumph, the party said.

In its motion, the PPP is praying the court for an order to restrain the EC and "their respective agents, assigns, privies, servants or workmen from collecting or receiving the filing fee for the conduct of the 2016 elections, pending the final determination of the substantive matter."