NPP aspirants iron out differences, sign undertaking
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has resolved all outstanding issues tabled by the four presidential hopefuls.
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Assin North Member of Parliament (MP), Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and a former MP for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai-Nimoh, have also signed an undertaking to accept tomorrow’s presidential primary results and to support the winner for victory in the 2024 elections.
They all attended the meeting and appended their signatures to the document.
They also pledged not to resign if they lose, to promote peace and cohesion, ensure the enforcement of the mechanism established by the party and work within the timeline instituted by the party before the results are declared.
It was also attended by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President John Agyekum Kufuor, members of the National Council of Elders, national executive members and members of the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC).
The General Secretary of the NPP, Justine Kodua Frimpong, announced this after what he called a fruitful meeting with the four aspirants and leaders of the party in Accra yesterday.
Over 200,000 NPP party faithful, making up the electoral college, will vote on November 4, 2023 at 277 polling stations across the country to elect one out of the four to lead the NPP for the 2024 presidential election.
Organised by the National Council of Elders, the meeting was held to rally the aspirants together and iron out all differences.
Committee
Mr Frimpong announced that because constituency council of elders and constituency council of patrons were not part of the electoral college, the PEC had decided to make the chairmen of the two organs oversee the constituency elections.
“They are the ones to supervise the elections at the constituency and no officer of the party, be it constituency officer or regional officer will have any power to interfere in the work of this committee.
The police, the Electoral Commission and the aspirants will be dealing directly with this committee,” he added.
He said suspended members of the party whose cases had not been dealt with by the disciplinary committee would be allowed to vote.
However, if the committee had recommended sanctions and same upheld, the person would not be allowed to vote.
Mr Frimpong noted that there would not be any congregation of supporters on the day of voting; no wearing of candidates’ paraphernalia; no entry into the voting screen in groups; no person would be tolerated directing delegates who to vote for, while no one would be allowed to take a picture of their vote.
He announced that all members of the party, whether they had paid up their dues fully or not, must be allowed to cast their ballot.
Issues
Quoting Article 13 (11) of the party’s constitution to support the composition of the electoral college, Mr Frimpong said they included all members of the national council, all voting members of the national executive committee and all voting members of the regional executive committee.
Others are all voting members of the constituency executive committee, all electoral area coordinators, the five polling station executive officers in each polling station, 15 members of the National Council of Elders to be elected amongst themselves.
The rest are 15 patrons to be elected among themselves, all NPP MPs, past national officers, three representatives of each organ of the party, 12 delegates from every external branch, founder members who are signatories to the formation of the party at the EC, one TESCON representative from each of the recognised tertiary education institutions, all party card bearing ministers and deputy ministers and all MMDCEs.
The total number of delegates is 204,144. Proxy votes are 563.