Paying GHS100k as filing fee for 2024 elections outrageous – Hassan Ayariga

Hassan Ayariga, the flagbearer of the All People's Congress (APC), has criticised the Electoral Commission (EC) for setting the filing fee for presidential candidates in the 2024 elections at GH?100,000.

He argues that this amount is too high, especially given Ghana's current economic difficulties.

“What I am saying is that the economy is hard in Ghana nowadays, and it is not easy to come by GH?10,000, not to talk of GH?100,000. In the last election, when the EC declared that all Presidential candidates should pay GH?100,000, I was strongly against it and I said that the economy of Ghana is so bad and that the salary of a Ghanaian citizen is less than GH?10,000.

That of a minister of state is less than GH?15,000. So when you say ministers of state or candidates of any political party should pay GH?100,000, it is outrageous because the economy of Ghana is tough now. How much is a Ghanaian earning compared to what the EC is asking for? What EC is trying to tell us is that Ghana is for the highest bidder.

They are selling our electoral process to the highest bidder and they are telling us that they are looking for people with more money than more brains, more money than leadership, more money than competence. A high public earner like a minister of state takes home GH?15,000.

When will a minister of state who is competent but not corrupt, a patriotic citizen of Ghana, save GH?100,000 for just a filing fee? The bigger parties - the NDC and NPP are fine with it because they have been in power and embezzled funds and used government machinery to go around and campaign, and so for them, they don't care if you fix the filing fee at GH?1 million. Parliament must come out and tell the EC to justify the filing fee,” Hassan Ayariga stated.

In a statement, the Commission indicated that male presidential candidates will be required to pay a nomination fee of GH?100,000, while female candidates and persons with disabilities will pay GH?75,000.

“Candidates vying for the position of President will be required to make a payment of One Hundred Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH?100,000.00) at the time of submitting their Nomination Forms. Payment shall be by Banker’s draft and addressed to the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission. Female Candidates and Persons with Disabilities are required to pay Seventy-Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH?75,000),” part of the statement read.

According to the Commission, nomination forms for the elections will be available on their website from Friday, 2nd August 2024. Candidates will have from Monday, September 9 to Friday, September 13, 2024, to submit their nomination forms.

Read Full Story