<<Print>>

It is not in any book or legal document but the presidential candidate of any political party has the burden of raising funds for his campaign and that of the party’s parliamentary candidates.

Close to 12 leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have expressed their wish to contest the party’s election to be its 2020 presidential candidate. Many analysts believe not all the 11 would reach the stage of paying filing fees to be on the ballot for its delegates to take that decision.

Credible reports indicate that the filing fee for the right to be on the ballot on December 7, 2018 could be GH¢350,000. It is said that if the event is going to be blissful, it should start from the morning.

As part of efforts to raise funds for the election of its national executive officers and 2020 presidential candidate, various categories of officials could be levied as part of its fund raising strategy. Supporters could be asked to contribute a minimum of GH¢10 each.

A political analyst, in an interview with the Daily Dispatch last Friday said, “politics can be very funny. The NDC’s disunity was one of the reasons it lost miserably in 2016. However, plans to heal the party would have been given political oxygen by the challenges the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is facing. The current problems, even though the 2020 elections are 26 months away, have put the NPP on the back pedal. It could therefore be a very interesting 2020 elections.”

Below is a related story, first published in the Daily Dispatch on September 5, 2018:

“WHO WILL BE NDC’S CHOICE TO FACE AKUFO-ADDO IN 2020 ELECTIONS?

A Political Desk Report

Many political analysts are wondering the number of candidates who could contest the December 7, 2018 elections to elect the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the 2020 presidential elections. Will the number exceed the 17 candidates record set by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2007 primaries?

The NPP, having learnt bitter lessons, now has a mechanism which make the maximum number at five. As at yesterday, about 11 leading members of the NDC have declared their intentions to contest on December 7, 2018, to be the party’s 2020 flagbearer. Just how many will complete the process including the payment of a filing fee of GH¢50,000 (fifty thousand cedis) remains to be seen.

Members who are expected to pay the filing fee and be on the December 7 ballot include (in no particular order) – John Mahama; Sylvester Mensah; Joshua Alabi; Ekwow Spio-Garbrah; Alban Bagbin and Goosie Tanoh.

Without any scientific polling done, it looks like the man to beat is John Mahama. From credible reports, not only does he want the minimum 50% plus a vote to win the NDC’s slot, he wants a minimum of not less than 70% of valid votes cast.

There are also credible reports of informal meetings between the other candidates on how to ensure a run-off. There are schools of thought they are said to be exploring. One is that they should support one person to face Mahama, picking one of them as a running mate. The second is that they should all contest, to draw their individual votes because for some delegates, their second choice could be Mahama.

Whoever wins the NDC’s 2020 flagbearership race will have a huge load on his shoulders. He will have to lead a huge fund raising drive to help resource the grassroots of the party. There is an urgent need to pay rent to re-open some party offices which have been closed. There is also the need to get meaningful and appropriate means of transportation like motor bikes; bicycles and rugged vehicles like cross country vehicles. The days of young persons driving ‘Uber like’ vehicles around should be a thing of the past.

For truthful leading members of the NDC, they know they have a load to carry in terms of getting logistics ready.

Subsequent analysis will throw light on how the party’s unity is fragile and no matter how the ostriches see it, there is an URGENT need to heal wounds.”