I will resume my fight against new filing fee after 2020 elections – Hassan Ayariga

Hassan Ayariga the, flagbearer of the All People’s Congress has promised to continue his fight against the new filing fee by the Electoral Commission after the 2020 elections.

Ayariga is one of a number of aspirants who protested the increment in the parliamentary and presidential filing fees by the EC.

The aspirants argued that the EC was selling the leadership to the highest bidder and promoting what they term to be ‘moneycracy’ instead of democracy.

Ayariga, in his attempt to have the EC reduce the fee petitioned the commission and madam Jean Mensa.

The EC, according to Ayariga, responded that nothing could be done about the fees.

In an interview with Citi FM, Ayariga stated that he could have taken the matter up at the law court but he opted against it because he did not want to delay the electoral process.

“They [EC] wrote back to me telling me that they are unable to do anything,” he disclosed.

“I still have a lot of opportunities and chances to take them on but I decided not to…I did not want to be the one to take this election backwards and put Ghanaians in limbo of whether we are going to have an election or not.”

“I have decided that after the election, we will do that because we are already in COVID-19 period, and we are running out of time…One will consider the fact that we can manage things and let it go,” Mr. Ayariga added.

Despite his opposition to the new filing fee, Ayariga has filed his forms at the EC to show readiness to contest the elections.

The new filing fee is pegged at GH¢100,000 for the presidential and GH¢10,000 for parliamentary.