NPP has not suspended process for parliamentary primaries - Kwabena Agyapong

The leadership of the opposition New Patriotic Party has denied that the process for selecting parliamentary aspirants in the 2016 elections has been suspended.

According to the party’s General Secretary, Mr Kwabena Agyapong the process has already started and was ongoing as scheduled.

He said until the highest body of the party, the National Council, in their wisdom decides to vary the National Executive Committee’s decision on the timetable after its meeting on Wednesday, April 1, everything else would go on as planned.

Speaking on Oman FM Tuesday morning, Mr Agyapong said nominations opened on Monday March 30, 2015 and that some aspirants have already picked forms from the national headquarters.

A member of the National Council, Dr Kwame Amoako Tuffour had told Accra-based Citi FM on Monday that the process had been suspended following a decision to review the new directives on affirmative action proposed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) last week.

But according to the General Secretary, there was no truth that the nominations have been suspended and that the NEC’s decision that nominations should open on March 30 still holds.

Mr Agyapong said the National Council member had no authority to announce on radio that the process had been suspended.

Explaining, Mr Agyapong said apart from the fact that the printer of the nomination forms faced some power challenges and therefore delivered the forms on Monday afternoon instead of the weekend, everything was on course.

He said all forms have been dispatched to the regional capitals and urged aspirants to go and pick them up. 

The nominations which opened on March 30 will end on April 10. The election is to be held on May 24.

The National Council has been summoned by the National Chairman, Mr Paul Afoko, for it to look at a number of petitions submitted following the announcement of new directives on affirmative action for  the primaries. 

The controversial policies proposed include preventing male aspirants from contesting 16 incumbent female Members of Parliament with the aim to increase the number of women Parliamentarians.

But the move has been opposed by some party supporters who have described it as undemocratic. Others have also condemned the NEC's decision to reserve some twelve seats in the Greater Accra Region for only Ga indigenes.