Reports reaching The Chronicle newspaper indicate that each of the candidates aspiring to become the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), will pay a whooping GH50,000 as filing fee. The figure is double the GH25,000 each of the candidates paid in 2008, when the Party was in power.

The Chronicle gathered from reliable sources within the Party that the proposal to pay GH¢50,000 as filing fee, was first tabled for discussion at a recent retreat held at Mankessim in the Central Region, by the executives in the Party.

The Chronicle further established that when the steering committee met in Accra early this week, the same figure was tabled, and after discussion, was accepted by members as the fee to be charged. Deep throat sources within the Party hinted The Chronicle that the Steering Committee also discussed the need to hold an early congress, possibly in the first week of June, to elect the flagbearer.

The General Secretary of the Party, Mr. John Owusu-Afriyie, who was mandated to come out with modalities regarding the congress to elect the Party’s presidential candidate, confirmed that there was talk about the early congress, but no final decision was taken on the matter.

The General Secretary, popularly called Sir John, said looking at the Party’s constitution, he had suggested three different dates, which he was not prepared to disclose. “I can confirm that there was talk about early congress, but I cannot tell you the date, because we have not concluded yet. But definitely, it would come on before the end of this December”, he stated.

He said he had presented a report to the committee, and that next week, the leadership would meet with with National Council of the party and thoroughly discuss the dates. When he was asked to comment on the filing fee being pegged at GH¢50,000, he refused to make any comment saying, “There are things that are not meant for public consumption yet”.

Reports indicate that the latest move by the NPP to hold an early congress to elect the flagbearer was part of the campaign promise of Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, National Chairman of the Party. According to information from the meeting, the party was aiming at having the presidential candidate of the party before the upcoming district assembly elections, which comes off in August this year. According to party insiders, the party plans to raise enough money to support members who want to contest the district assembly elections.