NPP releases election timetable

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced a timetable for the election of its local and national executives ahead of the 2016 polls.
Contrary to an earlier proposal by some deep-neck party faithful to hold an early congress for the election of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2016 general election, the committee resolved to abide by the constitution of the NPP.

At a NEC meeting last week, a decision could not be taken on some fresh proposals from some leading members of the party and delegates were asked to go back and discuss the issues with their constituents and report back for a final decision in a week.

At a meeting at the NPP head office yesterday, which was attended by the party’s regional chairmen and secretaries and other members of the NEC, it was decided that preparations for the elections at the grass-roots level should start with immediate effect.

Dates

“The committee decided to stick with the status quo. We will start the elections at the polling station level to the national level,” Perry Cutis Okudzeto, the acting Director of Communications of the NPP, said.

The timetable for the NPP’s internal elections shows that polling station and electoral area education, compilation of polling station register and validation will start today, October 11, and end on October 30, 2013.

This will be followed by elections at the polling stations from November 1, 2013 to the end of the month, after which nationwide constituency elections will kick off on November 14.

However, constituency elections in the Eastern Region will be held on November 15 and, according to Mr Okudzeto, that was to make way for the funeral of one of the party stalwarts in the region.

It is expected that by December 28, 2013 the election of constituency executives would have been completed.

Regional executive elections and subsequent appointment across the nation will be completed by February 2014.

Elections for external branches are slated to be held on January 15, 2014, after which the head office in Accra will receive the list of external delegates by January 21, 2014.

National executive elections, after which the NEC will be reconstituted, are scheduled for March 1, 2013.

Tight security

It would be recalled that last week the NEC met to decide on fresh proposals to prepare the party for the 2016 general election but after hours of closed-door discussions, the meeting was rescheduled.

Unlike the previous meeting, which lasted for more than five hours, yesterday’s meeting started after 10 a.m. and ended at 1 p.m.

There was tight security at the main entrance of the party head office which prevented uninvited guests from entering.

As early as 8 a.m., party executives, including the National Chairman, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey; former President J.A. Kufuor; a former Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani; the First Vice-Chairman of the party, Mr Fred Oware, and a former General Secretary and Member of Parliament for Okere, Dan Botwe, started arriving.

Angry youth

It would be recalled that during the last NEC meeting, a number of angry youth temporarily disrupted the meeting, as they protested against proposals to hold an early congress for the election of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2016 elections.

Yesterday, but for a few party supporters who lurked in front of the party’s head office, there was no sign of dissent.

There were also no policemen, as the men providing security at the main entrance were in plain clothes and appeared to be private security officers.

By Emelia Enin Abbey/Daily Graphic/Ghana