The Presidential candidate and leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga has indicated his capability to pay the new filing fee of GHS100,000 set by the Electoral Commission (EC) for the filing of nomination as a presidential candidate for the 2020 elections.
Mr. Hassan Ayariga stated that he and his party are in good standing to raise the said amount for the filing of his nomination and that even if the commission sets the filing fee for presidential candidates at a price higher than the current filing fee, he will still have no difficulty in raising money to file his nomination.
The APC presidential candidate, who is among leaders of opposition parties opposing the GHS100, 000 set by the electoral management body as filing fee for presidential candidates, revealed that he spent millions of dollars in the formation and the running of his party and thus will not struggle to pay the GHS100,000 filing fee.
“Even if the EC should charge $1 million, I will be the first person to pay. That is no money for me, Hassan Ayariga. I formed a party in 2016 and I spent over $6 million for this party in 2016 April. If the party can do that, is it that difficult for the party to raise a mere GhS100, 000 for the contest? No,” he said in an interview on state broadcaster, GBC.
However, Mr. Hassan Ayariga is concerned about the legality of the new filing fees announced by the EC. According to him, the EC and other state agencies of its calibre are required by the regulations guiding them to seek parliamentary approval for fees or levies they intend to charge. He is therefore of the view that the hike in the presidential filing fee is a breach of provisions of the laws of the country.
He also questioned the rational behind the increment demanding from the commission a clarity on the matter.
“Our constitution mandates that before any public institution increases taxes or levies to be paid, it must go through parliament for approval. So the EC cannot just get up on its own, increase the filing fee from 50,000 to 100,000 without parliamentary approval,” he argued.
“What is the reason behind the increment? Is it to scare some minority political parties? Is it that we are selling our sovereignty and democracy to the highest bidder? Or is that the EC needs that money for something we don’t know? So the EC must come clear with what they intend to do with that amount of money,” he said.
US-based Ghanaian lawyer, Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare has also raised concerns over the legality of the increment of the filling fee for presidential candidates.
Professor Kwaku Asare argued that Act 2018 which regulates fees charged for services rendered by public institutions including the EC demands that the proposed increment and regulations guiding it be published and, laid before parliament for vetting and approval or otherwise.
The Electoral Commission (EC) at its Let the Citizens Know Series on Monday, September 14, 2020 announced the opening of nomination for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections with GHS100, 000 set as filing fees for presidential candidates and 10,000 for parliamentary candidates.
This implies that the filing fee for presidential aspirants has been increased by 100 percent since the previous presidential filing fee was pegged at GHS50,000.
This increment has been criticized by some opposition political parties and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Senior Programs Officer for CDD-Ghana, Kwabena Aborampah Mensah has described it as outrageous while questioning the rationale behind the hike.
