Wishing NPP successful peaceful primary

The New Patriotic Party undertakes its presidential primary today to select a flag bearer for the 2016 presidential election. The nation-wide exercise, to be held in 276 polling centres, is part of efforts towards deepening and consolidating democratic practices within the NPP.

Three shortlisted aspirants — Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Alan John Kwadwo Kyeremateng and Francis Addai Nimoh — are battling in today’s contest to become the standard bearer of the party.

The Daily Graphic wishes the NPP all the best in today’s polls as the over 140,000 delegates go through the crucial exercise of electing a flag bearer for the party.

It is the belief of the Daily Graphic that the contest will be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

The campaign has been heated but that can be understood in any democratic dispensation where competition plays a key role in decision making. Diverse opinions are always needed for people to make informed choices, and this must be respected at all times.

Democracy can only thrive where there is peace,unity, choices, and in some cases consensus in order to promote economic development. 

We are hopeful that the outcome of the primary will go a long way to boost and enrich the party’s internal democracy as well as Ghana’s democratic dispensation.

It is also expected that the three contestants and their supporters will accept and respect the outcome of the polls and rally behind who emerges victorious.

In a political contest there can be only a winner, and at the end of the process, it is important for the losers to bear in mind the dictum ‘’united we stand divided we fall’’ and support the winner in the party’s bid to wrest power in 2016.

The battle can only be won with a united front devoid of bitterness, mistrust and bickerings after the primary, and it is the hope of all supporters and Ghanaians that the party emerges stronger after the primary in order to contribute to the growth of multi-party democracy in the country.

While the Daily Graphic advises the delegates and supporters to comport themselves during the exercise, it reminds the media of its responsibility and role in ensuring fairness, accuracy and balance in their reports.

The primary is not a do-or-die affair but one of the democratic processes that has been adopted by the party to elect its standard bearer.

The clarion call is that this is the time everyone’s contribution is needed in the party’s quest to march to victory. 

The unity of the party is crucial for its electoral victory, and to achieve this, the leadership must manage the outcome such that there will be no victor and vanquished in the party’s process to select a flag bearer.

The Daily Graphic wishes the NPP a successful and peaceful primary.