The National Council of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) yesterday shot down a proposal by the National Executive Committee (NEC) to decentralise the party?s national delegates? conference and election of national executive officers.
Consequently, the National Council, which is the highest decision-making body in the party after Congress, asked for the event to be held at a single venue in Tamale, the Northern regional capital, jettisoning the earlier decentralised programme on the excuse of inadequate cash.
Just when the issue of money was raised, instantly, over GH?600,000 was mobilised with two regional chairmen who were attending the meeting for the first time doling out GH?100,000 each.
Sources at the meeting told DAILY GUIDE that newly elected Ashanti regional chairman, Bernard Antwi-Bosiako, popularly called Chairman Wontumi and his counterpart from the Eastern Region, Kinston Akomeng Kissi, a former Member of Parliament for Akwatia, contributed GH?200,000 when an appeal for fund was launched.
The NPP MPs in Parliament also pledged GH?200,000, with an additional pledge to secure GH?200,000 support from well wishers, raising an amount of GH?600,000 instantly.
There were also cash donations and other pledges including food for delegates and water.
The fund-raising was therefore said to have yielded positive results with lots of people showing interest in helping to raise money for the national delegates? conference and election of national executive officers, known as National Steering Committee.
Meanwhile, the party is said to have tasked a group with the mandate to help raise the needed amount to put up the event.
The NPP NEC, which included the steering committee members, regional secretaries and chairpersons, as well as some MPs and groups were pushing for the elections to be held at separate venues in each of the 10 regions on March 1, 2014 instead of the same venue, as often characterises the party?s national delegates? conference and election of national officers.
Their reason was for the lack of funds to organise the event at a single location with a budget of GH?1.2million.
But at an emergency meeting held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra yesterday, the National Council asked that the delegates? conference and election of national executives be held at a location in the Northern regional capital in memory of the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama, former Vice President.
They therefore rescheduled the delegates? conference to Saturday, April 12, 2014 to enable adequate preparations including monetary and accommodation arrangements.
Party sources said the event which was originally scheduled to take place on March 1, 2014, could possibly be held at the Tamale Sports Stadium in view of the numbers involved.
In all, about 5,600 delegates are expected to participate in the voting process excluding officials of the Electoral Commission and officers and men from the Ghana Police Service who would supervise the event set for April 12.
Even though no reasons had been given for the decision to extend the date for the election of national executives, party sources said it was to enable the party to raise the needed amount for the event.
A statement issued after the meeting and signed by Acting Director of Communications, Perry Okudzeto said ?in the interim the mandate of the current national executives of the party has been extended until the end of the election.?
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
