Politics of Wednesday, 5 December 2018
Source: mynewsgh.com
2018-12-05
Lee Ocran, Former Minister of Education
A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Lee Ocran is asking aspirants who are complaining that the forms and filing fees totaling GH¢420,000 is outrageous to go to the party’s founder and former President Jerry John Rawlings for support.
“They say they are going to their founder. Let them go there if he gives them their money, the Congress will be held”, he said.
The aspirants including Second Deputy Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Sylvester Mensah, Dr Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Joshua Alabi, Goosie Tanoh and Elikplem Agbemava are calling on the former president to intervene in the matter before their throats are slit.
But Mr Lee Ocran has called the bluff of Presidential hopefuls of the party who are raising concerns over the recently released filing fees of four hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GHC420,000) asked them to go sleep if they are unable to raise the stated amount.
“When they go to the constituencies they give money to people to campaign for them and so on. Now when they come to Accra come and pay for us we organize the final function for you…No! that one you have no money. If you have no money stay at home don’t participate. Those who want to participate will find money to pay”, he stated
Speaking on Western Today a socio-political programme hosted by Kwame Malcolm which airs on Empire FM MyNewsGh.com monitored, Former Education Minister and High Commissioner to South Africa Ambassador under the erstwhile administration did not mince words in telling the aspirants who are not well resourced to pay the four hundred thousand fee to withdraw from the race since most are just not serious-minded about the task ahead.
He further queried how come most of the aspirants are crisscrossing the country in fuel-guzzling vehicles campaigning all in a bid to be a flagbearer, yet complain of the figure being put out by the National Executive Committee of the party.
“All these presidential aspirants are going round the country in four-wheel drives. Whether they bought them or were given I don’t know”, he observed.
His argument is that if they are serious aspirants, they must have financiers citing the Barack Obama case study where his campaign was funded by supporters and financiers.