Aftermath of Special Electoral College election: Kennedy Agyapong, others referred to NPP Disciplinary Committee

Five members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including a flag bearer aspirant, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, are to appear before the Disciplinary Committee of the party for various acts of misconduct during the just ended Special Electoral College election.

The others are members of the campaign team of a flag bearer hopeful, Alan Kyerematen, Hopeson Yaovi Adorye; Raphael Patrick Sarfo, Charles Dokyi Yaw-Addo, and Musa Sulemana.

A statement issued and signed by the General Secretary of the party, Justin Frimpong Kodua, said the referral of the five members of the party, including Mr Agyapong, was pursuant to Article 10(7)(5) of the NPP Constitution.

Constitutional provisions

The referral, the statement said, was in direct response to evidence, including video and photographic materials, which suggested potential violations of the provisions outlined in Article 3(5)(A)(1)(2)(3) and (4) of the party's constitution and a potential misconduct under Article 4(7).

The party, giving reasons for summoning Mr Agyapong before the Disciplinary Committee of the party, said he was required  to provide responses and further details of the accusations and threats he made against certain personalities in a video that had since gone viral on social media and mainstream media.

“The NPP remains committed to upholding democratic values, accountability and the highest standards of conduct.

We are confident that this disciplinary process will be conducted with fairness, transparency and impartiality,” it said.

Incidents

While the majority of voting centers experienced a smooth process, the party said it acknowledged the isolated incidents that occurred at certain locations during the election.

“The leadership of the party unequivocally condemns such incidents and emphasises our unwavering commitment to the integrity and fairness of the election process,” it said.

Commendation

The party in the statement extended its heartfelt appreciation to all stakeholders who contributed to the successful conduct of the Special Electoral College election which took place on Saturday, August 26, 2023.

“We commend the collaborative efforts of the Presidential Elections Committee, the Electoral Commission, the Ghana Police Service, media partners, aspirants, delegates, supporters and the wider general public for their unwavering dedication to the democratic process,” it said.

“We extend our congratulations to all aspirants and their supporters for their responsible conduct, following the guidelines, rules and regulations set forth for the election.

Your commitment to the democratic principles of the party is acknowledged and celebrated,” it stated.

Background

The Special Electoral College election of the NPP held last Saturday elected four aspirants, with a tie to break, which will bring the number to five as required by the party’s constitution.

The election which was to shortlist five out of the 10 presidential aspirants for the November 4 national congress of the party to elect a flag bearer for the 2024 general election passed off smoothly with a few recorded incidents at some of the voting centres.

The top four aspirants who were shortlisted were Vice- President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the NPP Member of Parliament for Assin Central in the Central Region, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; the immediate past Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, and the immediate past Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto.

But before then, the party will have to break the tie between a former Minister of Energy, Boakye Agyarko, and a former MP for Ashanti Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai-Nimoh, who secured nine votes each.

The Vice-President secured a total of 629 votes, representing 68.15 per cent; Mr Agyapong had 132 votes representing 14.30 per cent; Mr Kyeremanten secured 95 votes which is equal to10.29 per cent and Dr  Akoto had 36 votes representing 3.90 per cent.

Those who failed to qualify for the Top 5 were Kwabena Agyapong, 6 votes representing 0.35 per cent, Joe Ghartey, 4 votes  representing 0.34 per cent, Kojo Poku, 3 votes representing 0.32 per cent and Kofi Konadu Apraku had 0, representing 0.00 per cent.

Incident

The two incidents that were widely reported in the media were the alleged chasing away of a polling agent of one of the aspirants from the voting centre and the assault of  a polling agent of another aspirant.