BY GRACE ZIGAH
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced the opening of nominations for its 2026 Regional Executive Elections, with aspirants required to pay filing fees ranging from GH¢50,000 to GH¢10,000, depending on the position they seek. The nomination process is scheduled to officially open on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, as the party advances the next stage of its internal elections in accordance with the general timetable earlier issued by the National Secretariat.
The fee structure means that an aspirant seeking the position of Regional Chairman will pay GH¢50,000 as a filing fee, making it the most expensive position on the announced schedule. Candidates contesting the positions of Regional Vice Chairman, Secretary and Organizer will each be required to pay GH¢30,000, while aspirants for Regional Treasurer and Communication Officer will pay GH¢20,000 each.
The party has also set filing fees of GH¢15,000 for the Zongo Caucus Coordinator, Youth Organizer and Women’s Organizer positions. For several deputy positions, the filing fee has been fixed at GH¢10,000. These include Deputy Secretary, Deputy Organizer, Deputy Treasurer, Deputy Communication Officer, Deputy Youth Organizer and Deputy Women’s Organizer.
In addition to the filing fees, every aspirant will be required to pay GH¢1,000 for the nomination form. The NDC’s fee structure therefore places a substantial financial requirement on members seeking to compete for regional executive positions, with the total cost depending on the position and applicable discounts. The party has, however, announced a 50 percent discount on filing fees for female applicants, as well as a 50 percent discount for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The discounts apply to the filing fees, while nomination forms remain priced at GH¢1,000. The party has also made it clear that nomination and filing fees are non-refundable, meaning aspirants will not be entitled to reimbursement once the payments have been made. The National Secretariat has further introduced an exclusively electronic payment system for the process.
According to the directive, all payments for picking nomination forms and filing are to be made online through the party’s designated portal, forms.ghanandc.com, using mobile money across all networks or Visa and Mastercard.
The NDC has specifically ruled out traditional payment methods, stating that bank payments and bankers’ drafts will not be accepted.
The announcement, contained in a press release dated September 29, 2026, was issued by the National Secretariat and signed by Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, Deputy General Secretary, for the General Secretary. The party said the opening of nominations represents an important stage in its internal electoral process and encouraged members interested in contesting the various regional executive positions to take advantage of the process within the prescribed period.
The elections are being organised pursuant to the party’s previously released general timetable, referenced in the latest statement as NDC-HQ-25-3/103, dated August 5, 2026. To qualify to participate in the nomination process, aspirants, proposers, seconders and endorsers must all be members in good standing of the NDC.
They are also required to have fully settled their membership dues and must be up to date with their financial obligations to the party.Members who have outstanding arrears have been directed to regularise their membership status by settling their dues through the party’s designated payment channels, including the USSD platform and the NDC’s online dues platform.
The party’s insistence on current membership dues forms part of its broader requirements for participation in the internal electoral process and places emphasis on active and financially compliant membership. The regional executive elections are particularly important to the organisational structure of the NDC because regional executives serve as a key link between the national leadership and constituency and branch structures.
Regional chairpersons, secretaries, organisers, treasurers, communicators and other executives play significant roles in coordinating party activities, mobilising supporters, communicating party decisions and overseeing grassroots operations within their respective regions.Consequently, competition for the positions is expected to attract considerable interest among party activists, particularly as the NDC prepares for the next phase of its political organisation.
The GH¢50,000 filing fee for the Regional Chairman position, however, is likely to draw attention because of the financial barrier it creates for prospective aspirants. At GH¢30,000 each, the Vice Chairman, Secretary and Organizer positions also require substantial financial commitments, while the GH¢20,000 fees for Treasurer and Communication Officer represent significant costs before other expenses associated with an internal political contest are considered.
The discounts for women and PWDs are intended to reduce the filing-fee burden for those categories of aspirants. Under the 50 percent reduction, for example, the GH¢50,000 Chairman’s filing fee would effectively become GH¢25,000 for an eligible female or PWD applicant, while a GH¢30,000 fee would become GH¢15,000.
Similarly, the GH¢20,000 fee would be reduced to GH¢10,000, while positions carrying a GH¢15,000 filing fee would attract a GH¢7,500 discounted fee for eligible applicants.
The GH¢10,000 filing fees would be reduced to GH¢5,000 under the announced discount. The party has urged all aspirants and members to conduct themselves with discipline, decorum and respect for the NDC’s democratic values throughout the electoral process.
