Spio-Gabrah to file nomination today

Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, a Presidential Aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will on Tuesday, December 17, file his nomination at the national headquarters under a protest.

He would be the last aspirant to file to signify his readiness to contest for the presidential slot.

Dr Spio-Garbrah, who was briefing the media ahead of his filling in Accra, explained that, he was filling the nomination under a petition for the party to reduce the filing fees from GH¢300,000.00 to GH¢150,000.00.

“It will be a bad precedence for the party to maintain the fees but if they refuse, it will send a wrong signal about the Party. People will think that the Party is using money as criteria for a member who wants to lead, once this is maintained it will increase the fees for the following presidential bids and this is not right,” he said.

The Former Trade Minister said the reason for the petition was to protest the attempt by some element of the party to peg the filing fee as exclusion tactics and punitive to deter others from participating in a healthy competition.

“If that happens, the person who emerges victorious and becomes the president will be thinking about recouping the money,” he said.

Dr Spio-Garbrah expressed optimism that the second petition by six aspirants to the Council of Elders of the Party would make recommendations to the National Executive to reduce the fees.

The six aspirants are Mr Alban S.K Bagbin Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah former Trade and Industry Minister Mr Sylvester Mensah; ex-Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Authority, Mr Joshua Alabi, former Rector of the University of Professional Studies, Mr Goosie Tanoh a cadre and Alhaji Nurudeen Iddrisu, a businessman.

In the petition, the aspirants said: “We strongly recommend that the NEC considers reducing the filing fee down to GH¢150,000.00, in consonance with GH¢50,000.00 and GH¢100,000.00 in 2012 and 2016 respectively.”