Flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC) David Apasera has disclosed that the party has sponsored only 36 parliamentary candidates instead of its target of 100 candidates because of its inability to raise the high filing fees demanded by the Electoral Commission (EC).
Mr Apasera, a two-term former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bolgatanga Constituency, lamented that the EC would charge such exorbitantly prohibitive fees when it is resourced adequately by the state to carry out its functions.
Even though the EC has maintained the parliamentary filing fees it charged in 2016, the PNC leader noted that it was unable to raise the cash for its parliamentary candidates to file their nomination forms.
“We had problems with money. We wanted to file for as many as 100 parliamentary candidates. But we couldn’t [do it] because we were not able to raise that money. So we got 36 parliamentary aspirants,” he revealed in an interview with CitiNews October 9, 2020.
The cost of filing for parliamentary candidates has been maintained at GHC 10,000 while fees for presidential has been increased by one hundred percent to GHc 100, 000.
Mr Apasera noted that the PNC is faced with the same challenges confronting other political parties, such as inadequate financing, which make it difficult for them to function effectively and efficiently as expected.
Mr Apasera was elected as flagbearer at the party’s national congress Wednesday, September 30, 2020 across all the regions in the country.
He beat Samuel Adjei-Debrah and Samson Asaki Awingobit in the fiercely contested race.
He promised to rejuvenate the party and position it to be more significant in the political affairs of the country. But less than three months to the general elections, analysts say he would likely not be able to do much to change the fortunes of the party.
