The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced revised timelines for some of the activities in connection with the presidential and orphan constituencies’ primaries.
The party in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, said the decision to revise the timelines was taken at its emergency Steering Committee meeting held on Tuesday, May 30, 2023.
The statement explained that the decision followed the Electoral Commission’s press release issued on May 31, 2023 to announce the date of June 27, 2023 for the Assin North Constituency by-election and the party’s preparation towards that poll.
Presidential primary Subsequently, the party said vetting of presidential aspirants would commence from Monday, July 3 to Thursday, July 6, 2023 with the submission of the vetting committee’s report to National, through the General Secretary, on Monday, July 10, 2023.
It said the National Presidential Appeals Committee (NPAC) would sit and consider petitions, if any, from July 17 to 18, 2023 while the party would publish the list of qualified presidential aspirants on Friday, July 21, 2023 after a National Council and National Executive Council meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023.
The statement said balloting for positions on the ballot paper for the National Congress by Special Electoral College (if any) would come off on August 26, 2023 to shortlist five presidential aspirants for the National Congress on Saturday, November 4, 2023 and a run off (if any) on November 11, 2023.
Recall The party opened nominations for the presidential primary on May 26 which is expected to close on June 24, 2023.
As of Friday, June 9, 2023, a total of 11 flag bearer aspirants had picked up nomination forms and had paid a non-refundable nomination fee of GH¢50,000 and as part of the requirements, they would pay a filing fee of GH¢300,000.
Presidential aspirants They are a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, who was the first to pick the form; a former NPP General Secretary and presidential spokesperson, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong; a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong, Francis Addai-Nimoh; a former Minister of State, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, and a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.
The rest are Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia; a former Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen; MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; a former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General and MP for Essikado-Ketan, Joe Ghartey; a businessman and energy expert, Kwadwo Poku, and a former director of transport and logistics at the Jubilee House, Odeneho Nana Oppong, being the 11th person to pick the forms last Friday.
Amendment This is the highest number so far apart from 2007 when 17 aspirants contested the pary’s presidential primaries.
The party has since amended its constitution to accommodate not more than five persons for the flagbearership.
According to Article 13(9) of the NPP constitution: "Where there are more than five contestants for nomination as the party's presidential candidate, a Special Electoral College shall cast their votes by secret ballot for the first five contestants to be short-listed".
Orphan constituencies For the constituencies where the party has no sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) also known as orphan constituencies, the party said nominations would be opened from Tuesday, July 11, 2023 and closed on Thursday, August 10, 2023 instead of the June 16, 2023 to July 14, 2023 announced earlier.
It said elections in the orphan constituencies would be held on a case-by-case basis to elect parliamentary candidates to contest on the party’s ticket in the 2024 general election in those constituencies from September 2023 to Saturday, December 2, 2023 instead of the earlier announced date of August 1 to December 2, 2023.
The party expressed regrets for any inconveniences the changes might have caused all parties involved and further assured all of its commitment to hold free, fair, peaceful and transparent elections.
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