NPP member kicks against high filling fee

Sunyani, Jan. 26, GNA - Mr. Frank Opoku Agyapong, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Brong-Ahafo Region, has said the filling fee the party is charging is too high and should be reviewed.

The NPP on Monday said nomination forms for aspiring parliamentary candidates is GHC 6,000 whilst incumbent Members of Parliament will pay GHC 16,000.

Speaking with the Ghana News Agency Sunyani, Mr. Agyapong appealed for a drastic reduction of the nomination fee for the aspiring parliamentary candidates to enable loyal, committed and competent members of the party to contest, win and add more seats in the 2012 general election.

He said even though a lot of resources were needed to strategize to regain power it was also was also important to make it easy for members who could re-capture those seats that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) took in the 2008 election.

Mr. Agyapong, who lost in the regional chairmanship race of the party in 2010, said sitting MPs could easily arrange for funds to file their nominations at the GHC 16,000 fee.

He said reports had shown that most of the NPP MPs, especially those in the Brong-Ahafo Region, had failed their constituents.

Therefore, any move to impose the incumbent MPs on the people in 2012 would "lead the party to a gloomy future."

Mr. Agyapong appealed to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo-Addo, the NPP presidential candidate, and other stakeholders of the party to intervene and review the filing fee if the party hoped to regain power next year.

"We are in opposition and we need loyal members who can help us to capture at least 18 out on the 24 seats in the Brong-Ahafo Region but not stomach politicians", he said.

Mr Agyepong appealed to constituency executives and other party members to find alternative methods to generate funds internally.