Captain Nkrabea Effah Darteh (rtd), one of 17 or so people preparing to file their nominations to be elected the 2008 flagbearer for the governing party has stated his preparedness to pay any amount that will be quoted as filing fees by the NPP. He said even though he feels that ideally the amount should not be more than GH¢30,OOO (¢300million), he will not be deterred by any financial demand that would be made by the party. Capt Effah-Darteh, waxing religious, said God is his "financier" and even though he had less than GH¢500 (¢5 million) on him when he announced his intention to contest the NPP flagbearship in August last year, "by God's grace" he has been able to fund his campaign tour of all 230 constituencies. "People occasionally support me financially and logistically but I am not dependent on anybody" said the former Deputy Minister of Interior and Local Government. The Berekum MP however warned that placing a high filing fee on NPP presidential aspirants would send the signal that the party was being sold to the highest bidder. Making allusions to rumours making the rounds that the party had fixed a fee of GH¢50,000 (¢500 million), he said aspirants being made to pay that amount would not bode well for the party. An NPP National Council meeting expected today has been firmly fixed for July 27, where the date, venue and filing fee in the flagbearership race will be fixed. The Presidential aspirant said his priority when given the nod is to ensure that there is law and order in the country while deepening the local government structure as a means of accelerating equitable development. "I will double the number of police personnel in the country so that everybody can feel safe," he said. Capt Effah Darteh submitted that while all the aspirants are qualified to lead the NPP in the 2008 elections, he remains the best hope for the party. Source: The Statesman