In the very first place it is not for the current New Patriotic Party’s administration that must conduct presidential and parliamentary primaries. But this NEC imposed this Top-Down Approach, on the party, where the presidential primary would take place first. And knowing that it could be rejected at the National Delegates Conference, it did not table this motion for the highest decision-making body of the party to decide on. Because in truth, it is an amendment of the party’s constitution and convention. But, who at all came out with this ridiculous proposal?
As it stands, unless the party faithful rise up and kick against it, come January 31, 2026, the NPP will decide, who holds its flag and lead the party into 2028.
With this unilateral decision, this failed administration came out with outrageous rates for filing to contest the primary. The form alone will cost an aspirant GH¢100,000.00 ($9,540.00) and the filing fee will cost GH¢500,000.00 ($47,700.00), which means an aspirant must cough out GH¢600,000.00 ($57,240.00) before he will be qualified to be vetted to find out whether he is eligible to contest the primary. And that is not all, he must pay some undisclosed amount as development fee. Kwaku Azar suggested the total amount an aspirant will pay could be GH¢1.0 million or $95,400.00)
But what is the development fee for? Is it to put up party offices across the country or acquire lands and go into farming? Or is this fee going to develop the pockets of the national executives? Just guessing, no malice intended.
Less than a year ago, the Electoral Commission charged GH¢100,000.00 as filling fee for presidential aspirants. There was nothing more. In the NPP today, picking up a formal one, will cost the same as a presidential aspirant paid as filing fee, for the General Elections last year. Are the forms, gold printed?
Instead of this current administration re-organising the party and reducing cost of campaigning, it seems less concern and keep charging such exorbitant fees for presidential primary.
What goes into that cost? Is the NEC going to fund and organise the individual campaigns of the aspirants? No! Is the NEC going to provide vehicle as in SUVs for each of the aspirants to be able to trek on rough terrains? No! Is the NEC going to refund the filing fees to those who will lose the primary? No!
The NPP is just recovering from disastrous elections, winning only 87 seats in the 276 seat-parliament and a 2.1 million party supporters rejecting the flag bearer at the presidential polls. What is most important now, is to visit the party faithful and with great humility, make peace with them.
The rejection of the party during the polls by the 2.1 million party supporters, means the NEC and the administrators of the party, are also rejected by the party faithful. It is no longer business as usual, so decisions taken are no longer binding on the party. They can at best be binding only on officers of the party and not even all card-bearing members. So, sitting there and thinking that their individual decisions can be imposed on the party as used to be the case, no longer holds. It is like this, the NEC has the say, but the party in general have the way. And without expressing their displeasure, they will turn away when needed most at the polls.
If this current administration had operated in a sound and more democratic manner, where diverse opinions are accepted, where everyone is involved, perhaps 2024 would have smiled on NPP.
But what did we have? Imposition of candidates, pride, arrogance and ego-ism filled the air with the dream of breaking the eight. Instead, what happened? Disgruntled party faithful, made sure the party did break eight. It broke down into the eighty-column of seats in Parliament. Very disgraceful!
The fact that even some officers did not like the way things went prior to the 2024 General Elections, has become very evident today. Hear Ernest Owusu Bempah, the deputy communication officer of the party, blasting the way Dr. Bawumia was imposed on the party. Then, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong is out today, telling us that the party was wrong in the way it treated Alan Kyerematen.
The question is, when all these mess were happening, why did any of these gentlemen not raise objections? And from the look of things, it will not be surprising if General Secretary Frimpong Kodua would come out one day and condemn things that led the party down, under his watch. So, who were the people or who was that person who took personal decisions for the party and everyone, even including the elders, kept mute and sheepishly obeyed?
If indeed that was what took place, then none of the current executives, from constituency right up to national, are fit to be at post. They saw danger coming but for their selfish gains, they kept quiet, hoping it was just a mirage.
As things turned out, no one controls the teeming party supporters and because they felt disrespected, they simply showed the party, who actually had the power. These people are waiting to be acknowledged with respect and begged for pardon. The way forward. Firstly, the polling station executive officers must be increased to at least fifteen, with each taken charge of a part of the polling station area. Secondly, a constituency workshop should be held, to find out how to reach out to party supporters and what to say to them and how to say it.
Thirdly, the NEC and National Council, in the company of regional executive could meet these aggrieved party supporters at a rally in the constituencies to render profound apology. The polling station officers must be mandated to always reach out to the party supporters in their area and engage them on the ways the party must go.
By this, the party electorates will know which of the aspirants is most popular to be flag bearer or parliamentary candidate. When this happens, the party’s candidates would have full backing from the six million plus supporters. And these supporters would in turn campaign for the aspirants, making the work much easier.
Now back to this nomination form and filling fee issue. What should be of great concern to NEC is how to reduce or eradicate moneyocracy in the party, when it comes to election of officers and candidates. These aspirants are going out there to promote themselves but they will be completely milked dry by the electorates who will not be concerned about the right candidate but only about the highest bidder. How much are the aspirants going to waste before the primary and in total, how much will the flag bearer waste before Election 2028?
Revelations by Centre for Democratic Development (CDD)stated that presidential candidates in Ghana spent $150 million (almost GH¢1.6 billion) in the 2024 campaign, for two years. All things being equal, for three years the NPP flag bearer will spend $225 million (almost 2.36 billion). And on top of this NEC is charging them that much just to file to contest the primary. This failed administration cannot be serious.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
