Posted: Daily Guide |Thursday, 05 August 2010
www.dailyguideghana.com
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Contrary to speculations that there are still lingering issues about the flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), party Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey says all is clear.
Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey has asked all who have doubts about the impending elections to disabuse their minds of any perception.
Addressing journalists ahead of the Saturday congress at a press conference at the party’s Asylum-Down headquarters yesterday, Jake said “the knotty issues have been resolved.”
He admitted that there were teething challenges they had to tackle with reference to the difficulty in building and verifying information from the constituencies which created some misunderstanding and suspicion among some contestants.
He stressed the belief that the NPP could go into Saturday’s contest “satisfied that we have made the grounds as fair and even as we humanly can.”
As has been the tradition of the party, the August 7 congress would be conducted by the Electoral Commission in all 230 constituencies, except Ablekuma North and Ablekuma South Constituencies where certain outstanding issues are yet to be resolved.
Officials of the Commission are expected to conduct the elections in all polling centres, collate and give the final tally of votes obtained by each candidate.
Almost 113,000 delegates are expected to vote in the congress, a number which is smaller than earlier figures put out.
This, according to the party chairman, is the result of the elimination of delegates who are unable to vote and also from the merging of positions that overlap within the Electoral College defined in Article 12(A) 6 of the NPP Constitution which provides for each delegate to vote only once.
Each constituency shall therefore represent a unit polling area and polling centre whilst the National Council of Elders, the National Council, past national officers and representatives of the party’s external branches would all vote at the national headquarters here in Accra.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey expressed appreciation to Alan Kyerematen and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who are both contesting in the race for contributing extra resources for the transportation of delegates from their homes to their polling centres, calling on all party members and sympathisers to pray and help make the congress a success.
Voting is however expected to begin at all polling centres at 8:00 am and close at 3:00 pm on the voting day, with counting following immediately.
Provisions have thus been made for the Electoral Commission to declare the results at the Efua Sutherland Children's Park near the National Theatre.
In the event of an outright win, the winning candidate will then be declared by the National Chairman of the party.
The party has completed security arrangements and is in discussions with the various security agencies to ensure that adequate protection is provided for the entire congress.
To demonstrate its commitment to transparency, the NPP has opened the congress to both local and international journalists who have an interest in covering the process to cover the event in any constituency and at the results declaration centre.
Saturday’s congress will be historic for at least one reason; for the first time in the political history of Ghana and Africa, party delegates in 230 constituencies across one country will hold separate contests to select a presidential candidate for a general election.
This, the party says, asserts its reputation as ground-breakers in Ghana's quest for true democracy.
In August 2009, the NPP made fundamental reforms in the way to select their leaders and candidates for national elections.
The reforms, according to the party chairman, were motivated by the NPP’s desire to give power to its grassroots members and to deepen internal democracy.
It has been used to elect its polling station officers, electoral area co-ordinators, constituency executives, regional executives and national executives.
Saturday’s election of the party’s Presidential candidate will give practical expression to the power the party granted its grassroots.