I'll pick my form for NDC presidential primary Tuesday - Joshua Alabi

Professor Joshua Alabi who has expressed a strong interest to lead the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to Election 2020 has said he will pick his nomination form for the upcoming presidential primary on Tuesday.

In a radio interview on Accra based Joy FM Monday evening, Prof Alabi said the grassroots in the party have been urging him to go ahead with the race.

Based on that, he said he will pick the nomination form on Tuesday.

Read also: Mahama picks NDC presidential nomination form

Prof Alabi said if the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC decide not to review the GHȼ20,000 cost for the nomination form, and GHȼ400,000 for filing, he will still go ahead with the contest.

Related: Bagbin to exit NDC flag bearer race if GHȼ420,000 is not reviewed

Eight aspirants in the race excluding Prof Joshua Alabi at the weekend sent a petition to the founder of the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings and the Council of Elders of the party asking that, they should impress on the NEC to review the filing fee for the contest.

Prof Alabi speaking in the Joy FM interview said he was getting a "bailout from the grassroots. As I sit in my house now, people are trooping in, so I don't have that money in my account...but to the extent that people come to donate to me in my house, there is a possibility that I can raise that [GHȼ420,000].

"Once you get the bailout from the grassroots who believe that you have the ideas to lead the party and they don't like to see you kicked out because of money," he said.

Related: Rawlings raises concern over NDC high filing fees

Commenting on the accusation that many of the national executive members of the party have expressed biased positions for the contest, Prof Alabi said: “this is debatable, because if we don’t take care, we may have everybody there stepping aside because from what we are seeing it looks as if a lot of them are tuning to one particular candidate.”

“What we have to do is to respect our party, respect our regulations and even if you have a candidate in mind, what you have to do as a leader is just go and vote.”

“It is unfortunate we have that, it started before the elections [national executive elections] and after the elections it is continuing and they are doing that, but I see this battle as a battle for the grassroots. We are going to have over 300,000 delegates voting in this election all over the country and I strongly believe that they know what is happening and they will do the right thing.

Read also: NDC flagbearer contest with biased referees, is that one too a contest? asks aspirant

Writer's email: enoch.frimpong@graphic.com.gh 

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