The NPP Minority in Parliament says a centralized national congress will cost the party GHc686, 000, not GHc1.2 million as claimed by the party’s National Executive Committee.

Information available to Joy News indicates that the MPs would be presenting their budget to the National Council of the party later today.

The MPs are also proposing the Brong Ahafo regional capital, Sunyani, as host city for the congress.

The National executives had indicated that a centralised election will cost the party an amount of 1.2 million Ghana cedis, while a decentralised one will only cost a little over 150,000 Ghana cedis.

National chairman Jake Obetsebi Lamptey has said the party is not in a sound financial state to organize a centralised election like it did four years ago when all the delegates converged at the Kumasi Sports Stadium for the election.

But the MPs say their checks show that a centralized election will cost 686,000 Ghana cedis for the about 5600 delegates expected to participate in the congress. The amount was arrived at after some members were tasked to come up with a workable budget for the congress.

Joy News’ parliamentary correspondent Elton John Brobbey obtained a copy of the Minority’s budget and reported that the Minority MPs metTuesday morning and insisted on a centralised congress.

This is the breakdown in Ghana cedis:

Logistics = 10,000

Congress venue = 50,400

Transportation = 290,000

Feeding and water = 170,000

Accommodation = 77,000

Publicity = 20,000

Event organizing activities = 10,000

Contingencies = 50,000

According to Elton, the Minority MPs are suggesting that the National Executive Committee raise an amount of GHc150,000. The MPs will themselves contribute GHc316,000.

To fill the gap of GHc220, 000, the MPs are proposing that patrons at the constituency level pay GHc100 each; those at the regional level should pay GHc500 while national patrols would be levied GHc1000, and GHc2000 for external branches.

The MPs say they are also prepared to pay an additional GHc1,392 each which should be used for preparatory work to select parliamentary candidates for the 2016 elections.