Justin Kodua Frimpong
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced that members who wish to vote or contest in the party’s internal elections will undergo a verification process to confirm their eligibility.
Addressing the media yesterday at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra, the NPP General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, explained that although every Ghanaian has the right to register as a member of the NPP, the party will scrutinise individuals who will contest for positions.
Registration of members of the party which started on March 1 and will end on March 31, 2026 is in line with Article 3 of the NPP’s constitution which stipulates that the party should embark on a membership registration drive prior to the commencement of the party’s internal elections for national officers, regional executives, constituency executives, polling station executives among others.
He stated that individuals interested in voting or contesting for positions in the party’s internal elections must physically visit their respective polling stations to have their names entered into the polling station register.
Mr. Frimpong added that although the online registration platform allows anyone to sign up as a member of the party, only those who undergo proper verification will be allowed to participate in internal elections.
“To qualify to vote and to contest, certainly there will be verification. We need to be sure that whoever want to contest in the election and also opponents who join us have indeed joined us in good faith and are ready to abide by our rules and regulations, our Constitution, and actively participate in our party activities,” he stated.
The General Secretary also explained that the introduction of the online registration portal is intended to provide a flexible and convenient system for members who want to register, obtain party cards, and pay their dues while ensuring that the process for registering new members are not compromised in any way .
According to him, the platform accommodates different categories of applicants, including registered voters, non-registered voters, and Ghanaians living abroad, stating that, applicants who successfully complete the online registration and pay their dues will be issued a temporary digital membership card.
He further indicated that the digital membership card is temporary as applicants are expected to complete additional steps, including physically visiting their polling stations, before they can receive a permanent membership card.
Mr. Frimpong acknowledged challenges such as delay in the distribution of polling station registers to some constituencies and regions, failure by some constituencies to publish meeting times and venues, and cases where some party officials allegedly withheld polling station registers.
He assured party members that polling station registers have now been dispatched to all regions and constituencies, to address any excuse for delay in the registration exercise across the country.
He further indicated that some party members organised press conferences without following the party’s grievance procedures, while others began distributing dues cards and collecting dues manually, contrary to party’s guidelines.
He, therefore, urged constituency executives to ensure that all dues paid by members are made through the party’s digital platform warning them to desist from collecting dues through manual means as the dues cards are only meant to serve as evidence of payment after the transaction has been verified on the digital platform.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah