News:
April 7, 2023
As the National Council of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) puts out the time table for the Presidential and Parliamentary primaries, an aspirant for the Presidential race Ing Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has lauded the move to hold the primaries at different times despite the strong lobby to hold them simultaneously.
The Npp has slated the opening of nominations for presidential from May 26th to June 24th, 2023; Special Delegates conference on August 26th, 2023 if at the close of nominations there are more than five presidential aspirants and eventually the National Delegates Conference 4th November, 2023.
According to Ing Agyepong the upcoming presidential primaries are very crucial coming at the end of the sixteen year tenure of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia era. The election of the new Flagbearer and possibly the next President places a huge responsibility on the party and that’s not the time to experiment with holding the two elections together.- “you do not want to create confusion in the minds of the electorate, the same electorate votes for the Member of Parliament”.
In an interview, he pointed out that to put those two critical decisions on one day (voting for presidential and Parliamentary primaries) and to converge at one place, the delegates would possibly lose focus.
“We want a focused campaign; for the party to take the all important decision on who becomes the Flagbearer that for me is most important. The National Council has done the right thing, this has been the practice of this party from time immemorial”
Mr. Agyepong noted that the (NPP) has always elected its presidential candidate first, and thereafter the parliamentary election, “We are conforming to what we are used to; it’s nothing different”.
Again, the time table complied with the party’s constitution as the party has rules and regulations that runs these presidential primaries. The former Press Secretary to President Kufuor opined that most of his colleague presidential aspirants are satisfied with the arrangement; it’s only the media that is trying to make issues out of it, he stated.
According to him, the presidential aspirants need to be given enough time to reach out to the delegates to send their campaign message efficiently and effectively so that at the end of the process everyone will be satisfied with the results declared.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com