NPP Postpones Emergency Congress

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has postponed its emergency delegates congress scheduled for May 7, 2005.

A new date will be announced later.

In an interview, the National Organizers of the party, Mr. Lord Commey, says the postponement had become necessary because the party had to fulfil all constitutional requirements regarding the convening of such congresses.

According to him, the General Secretary was expected to write to all constituencies and give them copies of the full text of the proposed constitutional amendments.

He added that there should be at least one-month interval between the communication and the date of the congress.

It would be recalled that Mr. Commey, in interview with the Daily Graphic about a fortnight ago, disclosed the date for the congress.

He said the congress would discuss a myriad of issues and constitutional amendments for the growth and strength of the party, as well as put it in good stead to maintain its hold on power in the 2008 general election.

He say high on the agenda will be the amendment to the composition of the Electoral College for the election of presidential candidates, national executives and parliamentary candidates and for putting together electoral procedures.

Mr. Lord Commey says the party will not look at the amendment because of alleged influences by candidates, because none of those allegations had been proved.

Mr. Commey, who did not rule out the possibility of such influences, says personally he is of the view that the party will take a second look at the provision to allow for greater participation of members of the party in such critical decisions such as the election of party candidates.

“This will prove our democratic credentials by allowing a greater number of people to participate in decision making because this business of allowing some few polling station chairmen to elect a representative of over 80,000 people must be looked at again,” he says.

He cited cases from Kenya, where all card-bearing members of the party who were of good standing elected parliamentary candidates and said that would be a good example to consider.

Mr. Commey was optimistic that the “congress will certainly change the order to allow for greater participation”.

It will be recalled that at its National Delegates Congress in Cape Coast last year, the issue of the amendment to the constitution for greater participation of more members in congresses at various levels came up.

The call for amendment was rejected but the issue came up again last year during the primaries to elect parliamentary candidates as a result of alleged influencing of delegates by aspiring candidates.