The nine-member Vetting Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will start sitting on July 23, 2014, to scrutinise the nomination forms of the seven presidential aspirants bidding for the flag-bearer position of the party.
Under the chairmanship of Madam Ama Busia, a former member of the Council of State, the committee will then use Thursday July 4, and Friday July 5, to go through the vetting procedure of the seven aspirants who would appear before them.
After scrutinising the nomination forms of the seven aspirants, the committee will use two or three days to interview the aspirants to know whether they are capable of becoming the flag bearer of the party, as well as the president of Ghana if the opportunity presents itself.
The committee would have no option but to recommend all the seven for the special congress of the party slated for August 31 if it came to the conclusion that all the seven were capable presidential material, the General Secretary of the party, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, told the Daily Graphic.
Seven aspirants
The seven aspirants are Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo -Addo,2012 presidential candidate of the party; Mr Alan Kwadjo Kyerematen, a former Minister; Mr Francis Addai Nimoh, MP for Mampong; and Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, also a former Minister.
The rest are Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, also a former Minister, Mr Joe Ghartey, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and MP for Essikado-Ketan; and Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw, MP for Assuogyaman.
Mr Agyepong, who will not comment on the work of the Vetting Committee, however, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the party had put in place transparent measures to ensure that there was an even playing field for all aspirants.
On whether Mr Osei Ameyaw would be disqualified for requesting that the party use funds owed him (by the party) to defray the cost of his nomination fees, Mr Agyepong expressed doubt.
He explained that as far as the party was concerned, the past National Election Committee captured in their report the party’s indebtedness to Mr Osei Ameyaw, and in his personal view, “there is no issue if Mr Osei Ameyaw requested the party to use monies owed him by the party to defray his nomination fees.”
