Flagbearer aspirants as fund-raisers not innovative enough - Sylvester Mensah

NDC flagbearer hopeful, Sylvester Adinam Mensah, has indicated that he is against the current decision by the National Executive Committee which seeks to auction the flagbearership position to the highest bidder.

Speaking to delegates from North, Central and South Tongu Constituencies in Mepe, Sogakope and Adidome respectively, Mr. Mensah said that singular decision by NEC in the name of raising funds for the party is an affront to the philosophy of the party and called on the Council of elders to step in and review the fees. He also urged party members to resist any attempt to impose a candidate on them through this strategy.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC took a decision at its meeting on Thursday morning, last week, which was communicated through a press conference addressed by the General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia. The NEC agreed that nomination forms should sell at GH¢20,000 and GH¢400,000 for filing.

The announcement of the exorbitant fees was greeted with several criticisms locally and internationally. Some CSOs issued statements criticising it and pointing out that the decision could lend credence to the corruption tag hanged on NDC before the 2016 elections, which largely affected the fortunes of the party.

Some members of NEC have argued that the party needs money to organise the flagbearership election, and for running the party's affairs in opposition.

Mr. Mensah disagreed with that school of thought, saying in the event that only one person files his nomination, where would the party find additional money to run the elections?

Mr. Mensah assured delegates that when given the nod as leader of the NDC, he will employ innovative ways of raising funds for party activities, different from what NEC has sought to do. He said the party needs self financing programs which can sustain its operations such as seen in other jurisdictions.

Mr. Mensah did not mince words in describing the decision as "a deliberate and calculated agenda to skew the process in favour of one particular aspirant", and lamented that this decision has put the party in bad light in the political space of Ghana.

He reassured delegates that the decision shall be challenged in the appropriate quarters for a new one in consonant with the philosophy of the party.