NPP Ready For Congress

New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has announced venues for the Special Delegates Congress of the party on Sunday.

The congress is set to elect five out of the seven persons contesting for the flagbearership position of the NPP, namely Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Alan Kyerematen, Joe Ghartey, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Francis Addai-Nimo, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku and Kofi Osei-Ameyaw.

Even though all 10 regional chairmen of the party have raised concern over the failure to form an election committee to handle the upcoming event, the General Secretary issued a statement yesterday detailing venues designated as polling centres for the Special Delegates Congress across the nation in the various regional capitals.

Ahead of the Sunday congress, the overseas branches of the party have been testing the popularity of the aspirants among members to know who they should vote for, with the 2012 presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, securing overwhelming endorsements.

The latest result from the NPP-USA follows the general trend in the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, China, Denmark and Italy among others.

The NPP-USA, in accordance with Article 12 of the party's constitution, has given its three votes to Nana Akufo-Addo.

'Members of the National Executive Committee and Chairpersons for the 20 NPP-USA Chapters were constituted as the Super Delegates to vote in this limited exercise. The exercise commenced on Saturday August 16, 2014; ending on Monday August 25, 2014 at 12 midnight EST.

'Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo obtained 96.67% of the valid votes cast to win all the three delegates votes of NPP-USA. The first Runner-up, Alan Kyerematen obtained 3.33% of the valid votes while the five other aspirants had zero percent (0%).

'Mr. Kyerematen won one Chapter of NPP-USA while Nana Akufo-Addo won the rest of the Chapters, making him the substantive winner to receive all of the NPP-USA delegates' votes', said a statement issued by the Communication Team of the NPP-USA.

Voting Centres
The voting centres are; for Ashanti Region – the Great Hall of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi; Brong Ahafo – Catholic Pastoral Centre, Sunyani; and Northern – Tamale Stadium, Tamale.

The rest are Upper East – VAT Hall, Bolgatanga; Upper West – GNAT Hall, Wa; Greater Accra – Foyer of Great Hall, University of Ghana, Legon; Central – Centre for National Culture; Western – Takoradi Beach Hotel, Takoradi; and Eastern – Oyinka Hotel, Koforidua.

The national headquarters of the party has also been designated as a special centre where national officers, past national officers, special organs and external branches would be made to vote.

The decision was said to have been sanctioned at a Steering Committee meeting held at the party's headquarters on Monday August 25, 2014.

A special voters' register of 787 eligible voters is said to have been compiled and made available to all seven aspirants with each of them expected to have a maximum of two agents at the various polling stations and one agent at the collation centre at the strong room of the Electoral Commission.

Supervisors
The election is expected to be conducted by officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) and supervised by national officers including Edwin Tettey, the acting Director of Finance and Administration whose appointment by the General Secretary has become a thorny issue in the party.

Interestingly, he has been asked to supervise the elections in the Ashanti Region, the stronghold of the NPP, where 132 persons are expected to vote in this Special Delegates Congress.

Third Vice Chairman of the party, Fredrick Fredua Anto, would supervise that of Brong Ahafo with 74 persons to vote; National Treasurer, Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah, would be in the Central Region with 59 persons expected to vote; with National Youth Organiser, Sammi Awuku, scheduled to be in the Eastern Region to supervise the election where 94 people would be casting their votes.

Former Chairman of the party's Legal and Constitutional Committee, Joseph Nii Ayikoi Otoo, would be supervising that of the Greater Accra region where 76 people would vote; National Women's Organiser, Otiko Afisa Djabah, gets to supervise voting in the Northern Region where 68 persons qualify to vote; while National Organiser, John Boadu, would be in the Upper East to supervise the election with 39 persons likely to vote.

In the Upper West Region, Nasara Coordinator, Kamaldeen Abdulai, would supervise the voting involving 32 persons, with one Emmanuel Attach being dispatched to the Volta Region to supervise 56 persons as they cast their votes.

First Vice Chairman, Freddie Blay, is set to go to the Western Region to supervise the election there with 67 persons expected to vote.

Polls
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, polls are expected to be opened at 8:00am on Sunday and close at 3:00pm the same day, after which certified results would be transmitted to the collation centre at the strong room of the Electoral Commission from where the declaration of results would be announced.

General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong, stated that 'we remain committed to supervising a free, transparent and fair election' and appealed to the rank and file of the party to assist in organising a peaceful election.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu