Flagbearer of the All People’s Congress (APC) Hassan Ayariga says he will continue to oppose the filing fee set by Electoral Commission after the 2020 polls.
Speaking on Citi FM Mr Ayariga said he has decided to backtrack a bit because he does not want to delay the electoral process and will hold on for now.
Mr. Ayariga has already petitioned the Commission asking for the GHS100,000 fee to be slashed in half because of the strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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“They [EC] wrote back to me telling me that they are unable to do anything,†he disclosed.
He had previously accused the EC of selling the presidency to the highest bidder.
Despite his disappointment, he has decided to exhibit some restraint.
“I still have a lot of opportunities and chances to take them on but I decided not to…I did not want to be the one to take this election backwards and put Ghanaians in limbo of whether we are going to have an election or not.â€
“I have decided that after the election, we will do that because we are already in COVID-19 period, and we are running out of time…One will consider the fact that we can manage things and let it go,†Mr. Ayariga added.
A host of smaller political parties complained about the new filing fees and pleaded for discounts.
The last increment in filing fees in 2016, when it was raised to GHS50,000, was unsuccessfully challenged by the Progressive People’s Party.
The party maintains that the EC should not look for profit in the electoral process.
Even as its flagbearer, Brigitte Dzogbenoku, was filing her forms earlier this week, she still appealed for a discount from the EC.
The EC has argued the increment is in tandem with the value of the Cedi.
A Deputy Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Bossman Eric Asare, said the GHS100,000 fee was not too far off the value of GHS50,000 in 2016.
Source: Primenews /files from Citinewsroom