Myjoyonline can confirm that the filing fee for presidential aspirants of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been slashed by GH¢100,000.

The candidates will now have to pay GH¢300,000 instead of the GH¢400,000 that was earlier communicated by National Executive Council (NEC) to the aspirants.

It follows Wednesday’s crunch meeting by the Council of Elders and National Executive Council (NEC) after eight of the aspirants petitioned the council over the exorbitant fees.

A source has told Myjoyonline.com that the sale of nomination forms which closed on Tuesday, December 4, has now been extended to Saturday, December 8. The nomination fee of GH¢20,000, however, stands.

The date for the primaries has also been moved from January 19, 2019, to January 26, 2019.

Joy News Komla Adom reports from the party’s headquarters that NEC had been locked in a meeting since morning and is expected to communicate other decisions that have been reached at the meeting.

The disgruntled aspirants in a joint petition to the opposition party’s National Council of Elders demanded among others, a reduction in the filing and nomination fees. They also wanted the election date postponed to March.

Alban Bagbin, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Sylvester Mensah, Stephen Atubiga, Nurudeen Iddrisu, Goosie Tanoh, Kojo Bonsu and Elikplim Agbemava want the nomination fees, or fees for collection of forms, pegged at GH¢ 5,000 and filing fees reduced to GH¢100,000.

At the close of nominations, however, five aspirants including three of the ‘disgruntled eight’, had their nomination forms picked in their names by their supporters. They are Sylvester Mensah, Stephen Atubiga, Alban Bagbin, Prof. Joshua Alabi and former President John Mahama who is widely tipped to win the contest.

Alban Bagbin however denied granting any individual, permission to pick forms on his behalf.

With reports of the deadline for picking nomination forms being extended, hopefuls like Nurudeen Iddrisu, Goosie Tanoh, Kojo Bonsu and Elikplim Agbemava have a window of opportunity to enter the race to prove their might.