Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, vice chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has resigned his position and picked the nomination forms to contest the primaries of the party’s ticket for the 2012 presidential election.
The nomination forms were collected on behalf of Dr Spio-Garbrah, who is in London, by a close associate, Alhaji Mohammed Nasuri, who
also submitted the resignation letter and an authority note to collect the nomination forms.
He becomes the third person after former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and President John Evans Atta Mills to collect the
nomination forms. Dr Spio-Garbrah was one of the losing candidates in the 2006 NDC flag bearer contest won by President Mills.
A deputy general secretary of the NDC, Mr George Lawson, who handed over the nomination forms, said Dr Spio-Garbrah had fulfilled
the requirements to collect the nomination forms.
The NDC will close nomination for the flag bearer contest at 1700 hours on Tuesday, May 10.
The NDC would elect their flag bearer at their July 8-10 Congress in Sunyani.
Under the NDC rules, all executive members who want to contest the flag bearer position must resign their position and Nana Konadu, another vice chairman, also resigned her position to contest.
Dr Spio-Garbrah joins the race as the party is reeling under a bitter power struggle between President Mills and his supporters and the Rawlingses.
Submission of completed nomination forms is slated for June 1, vetting of potential candidates would be from June 7-8, and release of
delegates' lists would be on June 10.
In a message circulated to the media earlier on Tuesday, Dr Spio-Garbrah, called for peace in the party, split down the middle between supporters of President Mills and former President Jerry Rawlings, saying the party must win the 2012 elections, but it must
not destroy itself in the process of doing so.
Dr Spio-Garbrah, who was a cabinet minister under President Rawlings, is said to be considering the possibility of contesting the
flagbearership of the party, as nominations close on Tuesday, May 10.
However, in a message posted on the internet, he was vague about his intentions in that direction.
He said: “Whether I pick up a nomination form today, 10th May, 2011, the last day for picking up a form, will depend on my view of
whether I reach the conclusion that peace in the NDC is more possible with me in the race or with me outside the race.
“So, peacemaking in the NDC is still my objective and better late than never. President Rawlings, Nana Konadu Rawlings and President
Mills and their supporters should be able to accommodate themselves under the large NDC ‘Akatamanso’, and if I need to become a candidate
to help them to do so, then may God Help Us All.”
In the message entitled “NDC at the Precipice – Last Opportunity for Peace and Unity,” Dr Spio-Garbrah said many people had enquired about his plans on contesting the flagbearership because he was a candidate in the December 2006 race that elected President Mills as
the candidate of the NDC.
He said while some people had asked him to stay neutral, others had asked him to throw his weight behind one of the two candidates while a number of his supporters had asked him to contest.
“It has been a period for deep reflection, prayer and consultation. In the words of some, if my father and my mother are going through a ‘political divorce’ it is better not to get involved or to support one side against the other.”
The NDC National Executive Committee has approved a non-refundable fee of GH¢20,000 to be paid by male flag bearer aspirants. In line with the party’s social democratic and gender
sensitive credentials, it has offered a 50 per cent rebate to all female aspirants.
The party hopes this would encourage more women to participate in the democratic process and assume a more responsible role in the party
and the country at large.
Each contestant shall be proposed by two persons and seconded by four persons who must be members of the executive at the branch,
constituency, regional or national levels.
A duly proposed contestant shall be endorsed by two members of the executive at any level of the party from each of the 230 Constituencies of the country.
An aspirant must fulfil qualification criteria as stated in Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution which deal with the qualifications
to be president of Ghana.
In addition, the aspirant must be a member of a branch of the party, a known and active member of the party for not less than four
years, shall not be a member of any other political party, and must accept the constitution, philosophy and policies of the NDC.
Others are that the aspirant must be an active and card bearing member of the party with fully paid up membership dues; must not be
facing any disciplinary action for breach of the party’s Disciplinary Code and Constitution; and must not be a member of the executive committee at any level of the party at the time of picking of the nomination form.