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We can’t have ‘broke’ people leading a ‘penniless’ party into 2020 – Allotey Jacobs

• By EDMOND GYEBI
• December 05, 2018
• 0

It’s already terrible as it is, having the party penniless, months after its kick out from government, they cannot afford to worsen it any further by picking leaders who are financially unstable and incapable of putting the party back on its feet as far as finance is concerned, Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has said.

His comments come in the wake of recent controversies surrounding the charge of some GHC 420K as filing fees from all aspirants who wish to lead the party into the 2020 polls.

Agitation erupted among the known presidential hopefuls when NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, announced an exponential leap in the nomination and filing fees for flagbearer aspirants.

Apart from Mr Mahama, all the other aspirants had expressed reservations about the GHS420,000 filing and nomination fees and threatened to boycott the race.

Touching on the issue on Adom TV’s ‘Badwam’ Show, Mr. Jacobs bemoaned the ‘broke’ state of the party, emphasizing the need for a well-positioned person to take over affairs of the party so it can recover from its current state.

“If you are going to be a flagbearer and you are telling us you can’t mobilise funds from outside, so filing fees should be reduced so you can have a chance to go and contest, then we are not serious, then you want to tell us that the party is not serious but if you look at the situation of the party, accusations that the party was corrupt when in government, now I’m telling you, the party has no pesewa to organize itself towards the 2020 elections”, he stated.

He further added; “We are now galvanizing ourselves, and those who want to be leaders of the party, because once you are elected the flagbearer, you automatically become the leader of the party so should we go for a poor person to come and lead the party? When you see how much efforts we’ve put into reactivating the party, the branch, the party has become so vibrant now? No! we are so desirous to win the 2020 elections.”

He expressed surprise at the fact that persons who served in various capacities under the erstwhile John Mahama government will claim to have somewhat ‘difficulty’ generating funds to support their political ambitions.

Source: ghanaweb.com