: Charges ¢100m as presidential aspirants fee

The National Executive Council of the Convention Peoples Party, the highest decision making body of the party, yesterday held a meeting at Teachers Hall in Accra to review and deliberate on issues concerning the CPP forthcoming congress, at which the party will elect the flagbearer and national officers. Briefing the media on the sidelines of the meeting, Kwasi Pratt Jnr, in charge of Publicity for the CPP, announced that the CPP will hold its National Delegates Congress on November 24. Nominations will be opened between October 8 and 22nd. The filing fee for presidential aspirants has been pegged at ¢100 million.

Aspiring National Chairmen will have to fork out ¢ 50m, ¢20m for both aspiring Vice Chairmen and General Secretaries, whilst the rest of the positions will pay ¢5m.

The CPP Central Committee, made up of national officers, whose term of office expires on September 20, have also had their mandate extended for three months to enable them prepare adequately for the congress, he revealed. Kojo Armah, CPP MP for Evalue-Gwira, head of the party's Finance Committee, told The Statesman that his committee had proposed ¢50m for the presidential aspirants but this figure was reviewed upward by the national executive council.

He said given the people who have declared their desire to contest the party's flagbearership race, the agreed nomination fee should not be a problem for them.

Explaining why he thinks the extension for the national officers was necessary, the Evalue-Gwira MP noted that many people are showing interest in CPP leadership positions both at the regional and constituency levels hence the need to give the aspirants the opportunity to 'test the waters’. Commenting on the nomination fee, Paa Kwesi Nduom, a leading presidential aspirant, described the filing fee as "reasonable."

"You don’t do politics from your own pocket otherwise you can’t run an election."

Asked about his campaign, Dr Nduom said his contribution to the CPP is well known to the party members and hopes that the delegates will elect him as the party’s flagbearer in the November congress.

However, Bright Akwettey, another presidential aspirant, told The Statesman the fee is a bit on a high side but, "it is the decision of the party and I can’t change it."

He noted that the objective was perhaps well intentioned, a means to raise funds for the CPP to be able to organise its congress. Mr Akwettey was hopeful that friends and well wishers will assist him raise the funds. Kwaku Mensah Osafo, also a CPP presidential aspirant, Ladi Nylander, CPP chairmanship aspirant and a host of aspirants were present at the meeting.