THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) is scheduled to hold an extraordinary regional annual debates conference to elect officers to fill vacant regional seats.
A statement issued by the NPP’s General Secretary, John Boadu, said the conference would be held on May 4, 2019.
It said “this decision was arrived at by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) at its meeting held on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, at the party headquarters, and was subsequently ratified by National Council, same day. The meeting had in attendance, H.E. President Akufo-Addo, H.E. Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the Chief of Staff, the party’s National Chairman and other NEC members.”
The decision is pursuant to Article 18 of the party’s constitution.
The vacancies were occasioned by the recent creations of six new regions.
In the Northern Region, for instance, from which two new regions have been created, some members of the NPP have been calling for the resignation of the executives who now fall within the Savannah and North East regions.
According to the statement, “NEC has, as part of the regulations governing the upcoming conference, directed that all persons serving as regional executives (appointed/elected) in regions that have been split, have the option of choosing where they want to be, and shall maintain their current positions.”
It added that “if on the other hand, any regional officer is desirous of contesting a different position, then he/she shall vacate his/her current position in order to be eligible to contest the new position. Consequently, the position he/she was occupying shall be declared vacant for fresh nominations to be filed.”
The statement noted that “also, the National Council approved the composition of Standing and Adhoc Committees of the Council comprising Finance Committee, Constitutional and Legal, Vetting Committee, Organizational Committee, Research Committee, National Disciplinary Committee, Dispute Resolution Committee, ICT Committee, Welfare Committee, Elections Committee, Events Committee, Communications Committee, and also approved additional names to the party’s National Council of Elders. These committees shall soon be inaugurated.
It concluded that “finally, on the upcoming extraordinary regional delegates’ conference, the party shall soon come out with guidelines and modalities for the conduct of the conference in all the affected regions. It is the expectation of the party that all stakeholders shall be guided by these directives.”
BY Melvin Tarlue