New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates will consider constitutional amendments, including who should lead the party, in Kumasi from 9am on 3 October, before electing national officers at noon.
The party’s National Officers Elections Committee (NOEC) set out the programme in a notice issued on 30 September and signed by its chairman, Frederick Opare-Ansah. The conference will take place at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
The order of business matters. Under the NPP’s current constitution, the National Chairperson is the Leader of the Party, while the presidential candidate sits on the National Executive Committee and the National Steering Committee. One of the proposals before delegates would change that arrangement. Its supporters argue it would improve coordination between the party and government. If adopted, delegates will have redrawn the role of party leader before they choose a new chairman at noon. Every amendment needs a two-thirds majority to pass.
Other proposals include:
- restoring the President to the National Steering Committee;
- creating more vice-chairperson positions at national, regional and constituency levels;
- adding deputy communications officers in the regions and constituencies;
- allowing all card-bearing members to vote as delegates in presidential and parliamentary primaries;
- giving voting rights to permanent headquarters staff;
- formally recognising IT officers in the party’s executive structures.
A nine-member Constitution Amendment Committee, chaired by Frank Davies, grouped the submissions into motions for the conference. According to General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, the review was partly prompted by a recent Supreme Court decision in a case brought by Prof. Frimpong Boateng and others.
Voting for the nine national offices will take place at 31 polling stations. The positions are:
- National Chairman
- Vice-Chairperson
- General Secretary
- National Treasurer
- National Organiser
- National Women’s Organiser
- National Youth Organiser
- National Nasara Organiser
- National Communications Director
The Electoral Commission will run the polls and verify delegates. To vote, a delegate’s name must be on the register, and they must show one of three documents: a Voter ID card, a Ghana Card or an NPP party card.
Proxy voting will be allowed. All eligible youth delegates will vote for the National Youth Organiser, and all female delegates will vote for the National Women’s Organiser. The NOEC has also set up an online facility on the party’s website, where delegates can check their eligibility using their phone number or Voter ID number.
The party cleared 47 aspirants for the contest. Four are running for National Chairman: former General Secretary John Boadu, former Second Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe, former National Chairman Paul Afoko and former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko. Thirteen are seeking the Vice-Chairperson slots.
Delegates have been told to arrive in Kumasi by the evening of 2 October.
