NDC Asawase constituency executives have picked nomination forms for former President John Mahama to lead the party again in the 2020 general elections.

The executives presented a cheque of 20,000 cedis to the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

Before taking the cheque, the General Secretary said he would not give out the forms if it was paid for by the constituency executives.

”To purchase the form on behalf of the constituency structure would be wrong...I want the clarification to be made. If it is the constituency Asawase that is buying, we cannot sell to you as a constituency.”

Asiedu Nketia said this is to ensure that the constituency does not take a position for John Mahama and make the place a no-go area for other candidates.

Former MCE for Asokore Mampong, Alhaji Nurudeen Hamidan explained on behalf of the executives, party members in the constituency contributed to buy the form.

“For certain reasons, we will not be able to mention one or two names. But it is not party resources. It is not coming from constituency office,” he said.

The forms are expected to be presented to John Mahama who will then need to collect the names of three proposers, five seconders, and 550 endorsers from all 275 constituencies.

He has three days to do this as nomination closes December 5, 2018. The aspirant will then have to fork out 400,000 cedis to file his nomination papers.

The cost of the nomination forms and filing fees have proved controversial. Already eight aspirants say they have petitioned the party’s Council of Elders for a decrease in the fee.

They want the nomination forms pegged at 5,000 cedis and the filing slashed to 100,000 cedis.

Photo: FLASHBACK: John Mahama presented his nomination forms in 2015.

Responding to media reports on the petition, Asiedu Nketia said: “at the level of the national executives we have not seen the petition yet.”

He said the party, therefore, cannot take any decision concerning the process to choose the next flagbearer.

The NDC veteran said he expects the party to deliberate on the petition but urged stakeholders to come to that meeting with “open hearts”.

He reiterated his explanation that the fee is crucial for raising funds to organise the presidential primaries which he said is expected to cost 8m cedis.

Asiedu Nketia said the party is open to reviewing the budget for the primaries in which some 275,000 delegates are expected to vote across 275 constituencies.