100k filing fee causes stir in Peoples National Convention

Some Peoples National Convention (PNC) members vying for the party’s flagbearer role have angrily opposed the 100k filing fee by the party.

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Former General Secretary Bernard Mornah and Sampson Asaki Awingobit do not understand why a party wanting to attract voters would decide to raise its filing fees to discourage others from running.

Opening nominations at 100k filing fee

The Peoples National Convention’s National Executive Council (NEC) met last week and opened nominations for party positions.

That was the first meeting after the party’s General Secretary split from the PNC to form the Peoples National Party (PNP).

The NEC set the filing fee for the flagbearership position at one hundred thousand cedis (GHC100,000.00), which is a 100% increase from the previous filing fee of GHC50,000.

Potential parliamentary hopefuls of the party must additionally pick nomination papers for ten thousand cedis (GHC10,000.00), which has been increased by one hundred percent.

The revelation of the 100k filing fee has sparked debate among party members who have expressed an interest in the position.

Bernard Mornah, the party’s former General Secretary, is afraid that a party with little resources, such as PNC, will opt to increase filing fees to deter individuals from participating.

He asked, “over the years, it is not filing fees that has been used to finance activities of the party so why this huge increment?”

He further indicated that, “If left with me alone, I can afford the 100k filling fee, but the situation is that we are seeking to make the party attractive and we expected that things will be right for everybody who can contest without money becoming a barrier.”

Sampson Asaki Awingobit is another party member who is concerned about the National Executive Council’s plan to raise filing fees. For him, the NEC’s decision to increase the filing fee was out of place.

The People’s National Convention is attempting to gain enough support to become a third force in the country’s political landscape, but more work is required to accomplish this.