Explainer: NDC Chairman aspirants to pay GH¢102,000; See fees for all 14 positions

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has set its filing fee for the National Chairman position at GH¢100,000, making it the most expensive of the party’s 14 national executive positions, with aspirants also required to pay GH¢2,000 for nomination forms.

The fee structure, approved by the party’s Functional Executive Committee (FEC), outlines the financial requirements for members seeking to contest the various national leadership positions as the NDC prepares to elect officers to steer its affairs for the next term.

Here is a breakdown of the charges and concessions available to prospective aspirants.

1. How much must aspirants pay?

The National Chairman position attracts the highest filing fee of GH¢100,000, followed by the General Secretary position at GH¢80,000.

Aspirants contesting for the National Organizer will pay GH¢70,000, while those seeking the positions of National Vice Chairman and Deputy General Secretary are required to pay GH¢60,000 each.

The filing fee for the National Communication Officer is GH¢50,000. National Youth Organizer and National Zongo Caucus Coordinator aspirants will each pay GH¢40,000.

Candidates seeking the positions of Deputy National Organizer, Deputy National Communication Officer, Deputy National Youth Organizer, National Women’s Organizer, and Deputy National Women’s Organizer will pay GH¢30,000 each.

Meanwhile, aspirants seeking membership of the National Executive Committee (NEC) will pay GH¢10,000, the lowest fee on the schedule.

2. Full breakdown of NDC filing fees

The approved schedule sets the following fees for the 14 positions:

National Chairman—GH¢100,000

General Secretary—GH¢80,000

National Vice Chairman—GH¢60,000

National Organizer—GH¢70,000

Deputy General Secretary—GH¢60,000

National Communication Officer—GH¢50,000

National Youth Organizer—GH¢40,000

National Zongo Caucus Coordinator—GH¢40,000

Deputy National Organizer—GH¢30,000

Deputy National Communication Officer—GH¢30,000

Deputy National Youth Organizer—GH¢30,000

National Women’s Organizer—GH¢30,000

Deputy National Women’s Organizer—GH¢30,000

National Executive Committee Member—GH¢10,000

3. Aspirants must pay an additional GH¢2,000.

The filing fee is separate from the cost of obtaining nomination forms, which has been fixed at GH¢2,000 for all aspirants.

This means a candidate seeking the National Chairmanship must budget GH¢102,000 in total, comprising the GH¢100,000 filing fee and GH¢2,000 for the nomination form.

A general secretary aspirant will pay GH¢82,000, while candidates for national organizer will pay GH¢72,000.

For National Vice Chairman and Deputy General Secretary aspirants, the combined cost is GH¢62,000 each.

At the lowest end, an aspirant seeking NEC membership will pay GH¢12,000, including the nomination-form fee.

These totals are calculated before any applicable concession.

4. Women and PWDs to receive a 50% concession

The NDC has introduced a 50 percent reduction in filing fees for female aspirants and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

Under the reported arrangement, the concession applies to the approved fees for the various positions, except the National Women’s Organizer and Deputy National Women’s Organizer positions, subject to the special provision for female candidates with disabilities.

For instance, an eligible aspirant contesting for National Chairman would pay GH¢50,000 instead of GH¢100,000 as the filing fee. Including the GH¢2,000 nomination-form charge, the total would be GH¢52,000.

An eligible NEC aspirant would pay GH¢5,000 as the reduced filing fee, bringing the total cost to GH¢7,000 after adding the nomination-form charge.

The concession is intended to reduce the financial burden on eligible candidates seeking to participate in the party’s internal electoral process.

5. How should aspirants pay?

The party has directed all aspirants to make payments online through its designated portal, forms.ghanandc.com.

Prospective candidates are expected to follow the party’s election guidelines and comply with the prescribed payment and nomination procedures.

6. Why the fees matter

The filing fees determine the financial commitment required of members seeking to occupy key leadership positions within the NDC.

The officers elected will be responsible for various aspects of the party’s administration, organization, communication, and mobilization as it prepares for the 2028 general elections.

With the National Chairman position attracting a combined standard charge of GH¢102,000, the cost of contesting the party’s top executive positions varies considerably, depending on the office sought and whether an aspirant qualifies for a concession.

The announced schedule provides prospective candidates with a guide to the financial requirements for participating in the NDC’s national executive elections.

EA