The spokesperson for the Campaign team of one of the flag bearer hopefuls of the NDC, Mr Goosie Tanoh, has said the GHS420,000 nomination and filing fee for flag bearer aspirants is disturbing.

According to Mr Joe Nyame, money should not be used as an impediment in the way of people who want to take up leadership positions in a party that touts their credentials as a social democratic party.

Speaking in an interview on AccraFM on Friday, 30 November, Mr Nyame said: “This is disturbing”, adding: “This is a social democratic party and, so, we need not put impediments in the ways of people who want positions in the party, whether rich or poor.

“This amount will make only the rich take leadership positions in the party and that is worrying.”

The NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who made the announcement on Thursday November 29, 2018 said the fees were moderate despite the uproar within the party.

He has said the fees will help cater for the expensive cost associated with holding elections.

“If you compare these monies against the cost of organizing the activities we are talking about, you will realize that the party will still have to raise money to supplement whatever will be accruing from these filing fees so I do not see how anybody can say that it is outrageous. NPP three years ago was charging 500,000. We were all with you here in this country, did you complain?”

The party took the decision at a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, 29 November at the party’s headquarters in Accra.

All male flag bearer aspirants are expected to pay GHS 400,000 as filing fee while female flag bearer aspirants as well as persons with disability aspiring to the same position, are to pay GHS200,000, the party stated.

The parliamentary aspirants are expected to pay GHS 20,000 as filing fees while Female parliamentary aspirants are expected to pay half of that.