Money crisis hits NPP as aspirants ask for reduction in filing fee

With filing of nomination forms scheduled to start on Friday, February 7, 2014, some aspirants of national executive positions in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are struggling to raise money in that endeavour, an official has told TV3.

Aspirants for the chairmanship and vice chairmanship positions are expected to file their completed forms at Ghc5,000 while Ghc3,000 will be charged aspirants for all other positions.

Forty-six members of the party have picked forms to contest the national executive elections scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 1, 2014.

Speaking on TV3 News over the week, Martin Adjei Mensah Korsah, the Director of Elections of the NPP, observed that some of the aspirants found it difficult to pay Ghc500 charged for the nomination forms.

Though he did not reveal names, Mr Korsah said others have appealed to his office for the filing fees to be reduced.

The Party is expected to hold the elections using a decentralized system for the first time in its history, though this has been kicked against by some leading members.

While the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party is citing cost for the decision, some party members have dismissed the reason, claiming the party has enough money to run centralized elections.

But Mr Korsah told TV3’s Kenneth Osei Ampofo that the party’s NEC decided on a decentralized election because it was going to cost less.

He said the party only needed Ghc200,000 to hold the elections while a centralized one would cost over Ghc1 million.

It is unclear if the NPP will go ahead with the new system as the rank and file of the party is divided over NEC's decision.