Justin Kodua Frimpong
The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Council has announced that all aspiring presidential candidates of the party will be issued the validated register (Album) for the Special Electoral College not later than July 26, 2023, which is at least one month before the Congress date.
In a statement issued by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP National Council also indicated that the party’s Special Electoral College elections will be conducted by the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
The decision was taken at the council’s meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023, to consider the guidelines for the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries in constituencies where the NPP has sitting Members of Parliament.
According to the statement, an Elections Committee was formed to oversee the Special Electoral College and the National Congress, respectively.
Former Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mike Aaron Ocquaye will chair the committee, which includes Abankwa Yeboah (Vice Chairman), Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, Prof. Emmanuel Flolu, Rita Talata Asobayire, William Yamoah (Secretary), Evans Nimako, Philip Kwasi Nkrumah, and Afua Gyekyewaa.
Unhealthy Utterances
The National Council also expressed concern over several “unhealthy comments and utterances” made by some prospective presidential candidates and their followers, which do not bode well for the party’s unity and cohesiveness.
“Accordingly, the Council, by this statement, reinforces compliance with the Code of Conduct for presidential and parliamentary elections of the party,” the release indicated.
It warned that any aspiring presidential candidate or his followers, as well as party executives at all levels, who violate the Code of Conduct in the future would be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines and the party constitution.
The statement quoted the relevant portions of the guidelines dealing with the expected standards of conduct for all the aspirants, saying, “All aspiring presidential candidates shall campaign on issues and refrain from levelling unsubstantiated allegations, personal attacks and vilifications against their opponents.”
“No aspiring presidential candidate shall undertake any activity that will polarise the Party along tribal, religious, and other factional lines. All aspiring presidential candidates shall impress upon their supporters not to engage in any of the activities stated above,” the statement noted.
Undertaking
The NPP stated that each prospective presidential candidate must sign an undertaking with the party, pledging to support whoever is ultimately elected/selected as the party’s presidential candidate following the election/selection process if he is not elected/selected.
“He shall also undertake not to contest as an independent presidential candidate or as a candidate on the ticket of any other political party, and that, the NPP reserves the right to restrain him should he decide otherwise,” the statement indicated further.
According to the statement, the photo album/register that was used to elect the constituency executives between April 22, 2022 and May 2, 2023 shall be the same album that will be made available to the EC for the conduct of the presidential primaries.
“Any delegate who appoints a proxy shall apply to the National Secretariat three weeks before the conduct of the presidential primaries. However, persons appointed as proxies must be delegates to the conference,” the party said.
The NPP reiterated that any aspiring presidential candidate who violates any of the above guidelines and modalities, or conducts himself in a manner that brings the party’s name into disrepute, will be deemed to be in violation of the party constitution and will be sanctioned, including disqualification from contesting in the primaries.
Resignation
Meanwhile, the NPP has stated that its regional and constituency party officials who desire to run in primaries in constituencies with current Members of Parliament (MP) must quit by September 20, 2023.
“All such executives shall tender in their resignation letters to their respective Regional Party Secretariats not later than September 20, 2023,” the statement noted.
It added that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in constituencies where the party has sitting MPs are not eligible to contest in the parliamentary primaries for those constituencies.
It said the recommendations of the Vetting Committee clearing all the ten aspiring presidential candidates to contest in the primaries were approved by the National Council.
The approved candidates are Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, Kwadwo Poku, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Boakye Kyerematen Agyarko, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Joe Ghartey and Ing. Francis Addai-Nimoh.
By Ernest Kofi Adu