Flag bearer hopefuls of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are unhappy with the GHS420,000 nomination and filing fees should sue the party and stop begging individuals in the party to deal with the issue, Professor Kwaku Asare, a U.S.-based Ghanaian professor, has said.
He wrote on Facebook, Monday, 3 November 2018 that: “The solution is not to beg Chairman Rawlings to intervene. Nor is it to rent people to form lines to donate to some candidates.
“The solution is to go to the Supreme Court to seek a declaration that the fee discriminatorily limits ballot access, unreasonably undermines internal democracy, and is, therefore, unconstitutional.”
One of the aggrieved aspirants, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, has already hinted at dragging the party to court in connection with the GHS420,000 nomination and filing fees.
Mr Bagbin and seven other aspirants have petitioned the party demanding a reduction of the nomination and filing fees, which they describe as outrageous.
The NDC has given all interested persons just two days to pick nomination forms. Today, Tuesday, 4 November 2018 is the deadline.
So far, only former president John Mahama has picked the forms.
Prof Joshua Alabi, one of the aspirants, is expected to also pick his nomination forms today.
Speaking to Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on 505 on Class 91.3FM on Monday, 3 November 2018, Mr Bagbin maintained that the NDC’s exercise is based on an illegality.
He said: “If they want to be a party that will lead this nation, the first thing is they should learn how to go by law because the process we have is a multi-party constitutional democracy. Institutional ideas deal with rule of law, multi-party deals with our focus or commitment to the party, [that is] building the party for the party to be strong, then you’ll have a strong healthy government.
“The democracy is the one dealing with the people, that, the outcome of all what we are doing is to benefit the people; that is why our system is multi-party constitutional democracy, and, so, I’m not going to be one of those who will go breaking the rule of law and then expecting to rule the country, that is not what I’m going to do. If they think they can proceed to go on, the law courts are there, we’ll advise ourselves”.
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