NPP fixes August 10 to vet aspirants in ‘orphan’ constituencies

The vetting of aspiring parliamentary candidates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in orphan constituencies will be held from August 10 to 15, 2019 and the vetting report will be submitted to the NEC through the General Secretary not later than August 18, 2019.

Following that, the national parliamentary appeals committee would receive petitions from disgruntled or disqualified aspiring candidates from August 20 to 23, 2019.

A statement issued by the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr John Boadu, detailing modalities for the upcoming primaries said a national parliamentary vetting committee would be constituted for the purpose of vetting aspiring parliamentary candidates with the intention to contest the party’s parliamentary candidature in a particular constituency.

Elections committees

It said constituency parliamentary election committees would be set up in all ‘orphan’ constituencies made up of the chairperson of the constituency council of elders as chair, an elderly woman in the constituency appointed by the constituency executive committee and the constituency research and elections officer as secretary to the committee.

The duties of the constituency parliamentary election committee include sale of nominations forms, conducting background checks on the suitability and eligibility of aspiring candidates and submitting reports to the national parliamentary vetting committee.

The statement said the national parliamentary vetting committee would comprise of one representative appointed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) who shall be the Chairperson, the Regional Secretary, who shall be the secretary to the national parliamentary vetting committee, one representative from the regional executive committee and all three members of the constituency parliamentary election committee.

Chairpersons of vetting committees

The statement said NEC, through the National Steering Committee, had appointed chairpersons as NEC representatives and for that matter, chairpersons of the national parliamentary vetting committee for the 16 regions.

They are: Greater Accra Region – Nii Adu Mantey; Ashanti Region – Rita Asobayire; Western Region – Sammi Awuku; Northern Region – Evans Nimako; Eastern Region – Mr O.B Amoah; Volta Region – F.F Antoh (Chairman) and Brigadier J. Odei; North East Region – Emmamuel Attafour Danso and Ahafo Region – Henry Nana Boakye.

The others are Upper West Region – Omari Wadie; Bono Region – Henry Nana Boakye; Western North Region – Kwadjo Afari; Upper East Region – Nii Laryea Squire (Chairman) and Kwayaja Nganiba Joseph, Oti Region – Dr Clifford Braimah; Bono-East Region – Nana Obiri Boahen, Savanna Region- Kofi Marfo and Central Region – Mr Ofori Asiamah.

The statement added that the Constituency Executive Committee and Regional Executive Committee members would be observers during the vetting session.

“For purposes of this selection/election process, persons holding positions as constituency or regional executives who wish to contest in the primaries shall recuse themselves from their current positions throughout the selection/election process until the parliamentary primaries are over. Accordingly, such persons shall not attend the vetting session as observers,” it said.

Membership of appeals committee

The statement also listed the membership of the National Parliamentary Appeals Committee as comprising Mr Peter Mac Manu – Chairperson and Mr Evans Nimako as Secretary.

Other members are Mr Addo Kufuor, Madam Elizabeth Ohene, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Mr S.K. Boafo, Lawyer Gary Nimako, Lawyer Emmanuel Darko and Lawyer Joyce Opoku-Boateng.