Tight security at NPP National Council meeting
All is set for the acclamation of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo today as the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the December 7, 2020 presidential election.
The party’s Special National Council meeting will be held amid tight security with limited guests in attendance.
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The number of attendees has been reduced in view of the COVID-19 restrictions that limit such gatherings to not more than 100.
The national broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), will be the primary electronic media to broadcast the event with the Despite Media and the Multimedia Group complementing.
The Daily Graphic will also be allowed into the inner perimeters of the meeting to cover the event.
Council
Members of the Council are made up of voting members of the National Executive Committee. These are 20 Members of Parliament chosen by the party’s parliamentary group, regional representatives, past national chairpersons, past general secretaries, past Presidents and past Vice-Presidents.
The rest are presidential candidates, past running mates, President, Vice-President as well as the current presidential candidate and presidential running mate.
At today’s council meeting, it is also expected that President Akufo-Addo will formally announce Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as his running mate.
Former President Kufuor
In 2003, the NPP at its national delegates’ congress at the Sekondi College in Sekondi-Takoradi, similarly endorsed the nomination of President J. A. Kufuor, the party’s sole candidate, as the flag bearer of the NPP for the 2004 presidential election.
The January 3-5, 2003 congress was attended by more than 2,000 delegates, 10 from each of the then 200 constituencies, members of the Council of Elders, patrons and founder members.
It was climaxed with a mammoth national rally at the Takoradi Polytechnic on Sunday, January 5, 2003.
Acclamation process
In today’s event, there will be no such mammoth rally, but the National Chairman of the party, Mr Freddie Blay, who is also the Chairman of the National Council, will call the Special Council meeting to order with his opening remarks.
This will be followed by remarks by the General Secretary, Mr John Boadu, before officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) take over the process.
The EC officials will go through the format of acclamation, including presenting candidate Nana Akufo-Addo to the council.
After he has been accepted by the council, the flag bearer will proceed to give his acceptance speech.
The elected flag bearer will then consult the National Council and present his nomination of running mate for acceptance after which the running mate will also be introduced.
Four more
Many government appointees and party stalwarts have already started a campaign christened #4More4Nana, #4MoreToDoMore.
The President, in recent times, has also been touting his record in office and reiterating the need for Ghanaians to re-elect him to enable him to continue with his “good works”.
The Daily Graphic can confirm that the slogan has changed a little to read #4MoretodoMore4U#.
#GhanaVotes2020
