NPP outlines rules for regional executive elections

The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has announced the approved rules and regulations to guide the conduct of the party’s regional annual delegates’ conferences, geared towards electing regional executive officers of the party between May 27 and May 29, 2022.

“Per Article 9(27) (e) of the NPP Constitution, which provides that, the Party’s Regional Annual Delegates Conference shall meet to elect Regional Officers, as well as Article 18 on Guidelines for the operations of the Party at all levels, the Party’s National Council, has, at its meeting on May 12, 2022, fashioned out the following Rules and Regulations for the conduct of the Party’s Regional Annual Delegates Conference, to elect Regional Executives,” he said in a statement.

He further indicated that the elections would be supervised by the Electoral Commission, pursuant to Section17(2) of the Political Parties Law, Act 574, which provides that the election of national, regional and constituency officers of every political party conducted under EC supervision.

He pointed out that all the processes leading to the elections and other related activities shall be organized and superintended over by regional elections committees. He added that the regional elections committee would determine the venue for the conduct of the elections.

Seek redress

The NPP General Secretary advised disqualified or aggrieved aspirants, who may feel cheated in the process, to petition the National Appeals Committee for redress from May 22 to 23, 2022. The decision of the committee on any complaint shall be communicated on May 25, 2022.

“All members and aspirants who feel aggrieved at any point in the process should exhaust all available internal resolution mechanisms in accordance with Article 4 of the Party constitution and the decision of the National Appeals Committee on the matter,” he advised.

He entreated the party members to adhere to the laid down procedures to ensure the successful conduct of these internal elections.

“Nomination Forms can be acquired from the Regional Elections Committee or downloaded from the Party’s website, (newpatrioticparty.org) and all social media accounts of the Party, for free,” he indicated.

He added that upon submission of completed Nomination Forms to the Elections Committee, an applicant shall be required to pay to the committee a filing fee of GHC5,000 for the Chairperson position and GHC2,000 for all other positions.

“A prospective aspirant shall be a registered voter and a member of the party in the region he/she seeks to contest. A prospective Aspirant shall be an active and known Member of the Party in good standing for at least two years in the Region he/she seeks to contest. No member of the Regional Elections Committee shall be eligible to contest in the Regional Executives Elections.

“Electoral Area Coordinators, Polling Station Executives, Constituency Executives, MMDCEs, Ministers of State, and Deputy Ministers of State, who are desirous of contesting in the Regional Elections shall first resign their positions. For identification purposes, delegates/voters shall use their Party Membership Identity (ID) Card, but where same is unavailable, National Voters ID will be admitted for the purpose of voting. The Regional Album shall be used as the register for the conduct of the elections,” he added.

Review

Meanwhile, he said the National Executive Council had also reviewed the conduct of the just ended constituency annual delegates conference of the party, which was held between April 28 and May 2, 2022 across the country.

“The records are to the effect that only 10 constituency elections are outstanding, out of the 275 constituencies. The Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, working in close collaboration with the national party, is working hard to resolve the issues in these outstanding constituencies,” he stressed.

He disclosed that there had been extension of the mandate of constituency executives in Assin North, Jomoro and Savelugu areas.

“Following the review of the Constituency Executives Elections, the National Council, having regard to the peculiar nature of Assin North, Jomoro and Savelugu Constituencies, where the Party is challenging the 2020 Parliamentary elections results in court, affirmed the Party’s decision to temporary suspend the conduct of constituency executives’ elections in these three constituencies until further notice,” he noted.