Prof. Mike Oquaye
The national vetting committee of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) will on Monday, July 10, 2023 present its report to the National Council of the party following the vetting of 10 presidential aspirants who have filed to contest for the party’s flagbearership in 2024.
Spokesperson for the committee, OB Amoah, who announced this at a news conference at the regional office of the party at Kokomlemle, said the five-day exercise was meant to ensure all aspirants who filed to contest for the flagbearership were assessed and duly qualified to contest in 2024.
He said “our mandate is to find out that anybody who is applying to be a presidential candidate is qualified according to the provisions of the Constitution of Ghana, the party’s constitution, and the rules and regulations governing the election process”.
According to him, the committee will go into conclave to advise the National Council based on the outcome of the vetting process after which the report would be submitted to the General Secretary of the party.
He further described the vetting process as smooth, having complied with all the rules and regulations as stipulated in the party’s constitution.
Mr. Amoah, who also described the process as smooth, failed to disclose whether there were any potential candidates that may be disqualified.
He, however, mentioned that despite all the rules that were duly followed among other guidelines, aspirants who felt uncomfortable with the process regarding their candidacy have opportunity to appeal to the National Appeals Committee of the party after forty eight hours.
He also stated that the committee never received any petition from the public against any of the presidential aspirants during its sitting, though the general public were made to provide information and evidence about any of the aspirants they think was unfit to contest for the party’s flagbearership.
Apart from that, he said all 10 aspirants who appeared before the committee were decorous, respectful and adhered to all the rules governing the process.
OB Amoah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, assured that the vetting committee will adhere to all the rules and regulations outlined by the party towards a successful delegate’s congress.
According to the Director of Elections at the NPP, Evans Nimako, “if it happens that only five of the aspirants are being recommended for the contest, then there will be no special Electoral College.”
“However, if they happen to be more than five as may be recommended by the vetting committee, there will be a special Electoral College on August 26, 2023, and on November 4 when the number has been sieved to five, the general primaries will be held,” he explained.
The 10 aspirants that faced the vetting committee from Monday, July 3, were former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia; Energy Specialist Kojo Nsafoah Poku and former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko.
Others include Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, a former General Secretary of the NPP; Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong and Kofi Konadu Apraku.
The rest were former Agric Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and MP for Essikado-Ketan Constituency, Joe Ghartey, while former Member of Parliament for Mampong, Francis Addai Nimo was the last to be vetted on Thursday, July 6.
The nine-member vetting committee chaired by Prof. Aaron Mike Ocquaye include Lawyer Frank Davies, Lord Oblitey Commey, Osei Bonsu Amoah, and Adelaide Ahwireng.
Others are Kwasi Amoako-Attah, Stephen Abankwa Sekyere, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Rita Talata Asobayire, and Evans Nimako, appointed as the secretary for the committee.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah