No delegate will lose voting rights on Nov. 4 - NPP Elections Committee assures
The Presidential Elections Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said no delegate of the party in the November 4 flagbearership election will be deprived of his/her voting rights on the grounds of non-payment of dues.
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The committee has urged delegates of the party in the Saturday, November 4 presidential election to disregard such information being sent to them in the form of text messages that delegates would be able to cast their votes in the election based on the payment status of their membership dues.
Voting rights
A statement issued last Sunday (Oct 22) and signed by the secretary to the committee, William Yamoah clarifying the position of the party on the said rumours, reaffirmed that every delegate shall retain their right to cast their vote, and no one shall be disallowed due to outstanding membership dues.
“The committee would like to clarify that, while we strongly encourage all party members, supporters, and sympathisers to fulfil their financial obligations as enshrined in the party's constitution, no delegate or individual, designated as such, shall be deprived of their voting rights on the grounds of non-payment of dues,” it stated.
The committee expressed its appreciation to all party members, supporters and sympathisers for their cooperation in upholding the principles of the party.
Proxy
Meanwhile the submission of proxy applications, in respect to the November 4 election closed yesterday.
It was originally scheduled to end on October 13, 2023 but was extended to yesterday, October 23, 2023.
The extension, the committee said, was in response to concerns raised by prospective applicants.
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It said it was also intended to afford all stakeholders in the upcoming presidential election ample time to meet the application requirements.
Delegates
The NPP will hold its presidential primary on Saturday, November 4, 2023 to elect a flag bearer for the party in the 2024 general election.
About 200,000 delegates are expected to cast their votes in the election and voting would commence at 7 a.m. and close at 2 p.m per the guidelines issued by the party for the conduct of the November 4 polls.
The delegates for the election comprises of all members of the National Council, National, Regional and Constituency Executive Committees, Electoral Area Coordinators, five polling station executives in each polling station (Chairman, Secretary, Organiser, Youth and Women Organisers).
The others are 15 members of the National Council of Elders to be elected from among themselves, Members of Parliament (MP), Past National Officers, three representatives of each of the special organs of the party (Women Organisers, Nasara and Youth wings), 12 delegates from every external branch (27 branches in all).
The rest are founding members who were signatories to the registration documents of the party at the EC, one TESCON representative from each recognised tertiary institution, all party card-bearing ministers and deputies, and all metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives.
Contestants
Those who are in the race for the single slot of the party are the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central in the Central Region, Ken Ohene Agyapong; Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto and a former MP for Mampong in the Ashanti Region, Francis Addai-Nimoh.
Election
Some of the key issues contained in the operational guidelines issued by the party ahead of the election said for a contestant to be validly elected, a contestant must obtain more than 50 per cent of the total valid votes cast.
"Where, however, no candidate obtains more than 50 per cent of the total valid votes cast, there shall be a run-off between the first two contestants, and the contestant with simple majority shall be the party's presidential candidate.
Tie
If two leading contestants obtain the same number of votes but fail to obtain more than a 50 per cent threshold, a run-off election will be conducted to resolve the tie.
The entire delegates will vote to break the tie.