The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will, from today up to May 2, 2022, hold its annual delegates conference to elect executives in 250 of its constituency branches.
The conferences in the remaining 25 constituencies are on hold due to petitions and court cases brought by some aggrieved members of the party.
The conferences were initially scheduled for April 22 to 24, this year, but the National Executive Committee reviewed the dates at its meeting last Tuesday, following the challenges that came up during the election of polling station executives and electoral area coordinators.
Each constituency
The General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday that each constituency was expected to choose a date within the period to organise its elections.
He urged the delegates to comport themselves and ensure the successful conduct of the polls, stressing: “We must see ourselves as the most organised and active political party in the country to demonstrate our seriousness towards the 2024 elections.”
He described constituency executives as one of the key pillars for electing regional and national executives, hence the need to ensure that “all members comport themselves and abide by the tenets of the party to ensure that the elections are held in peace and tranquillity”.
He said all the elections would be supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC).
That, he explained, fell under the ambit of Section 17 (2) of Act 574, which stipulates that “the election of national, regional and constituency executive officers of every political party shall be conducted under the supervision of the (Electoral) Commission”.
Disputes
On the cases in court and before the party’s alternative dispute resolution committee, Mr Boadu said it was using internal mechanisms to resolve them.
He, therefore, urged members of the party who had resorted to the law courts to seek redress for their grievances to avail themselves of the alternative dispute resolution committee of the party, rather than the law courts.
Positions
The positions to be contested for include Constituency Chairperson. First Constituency Vice-Chairperson, Second Constituency Vice-Chairperson, Constituency Secretary, Constituency Assistant Secretary and Constituency Treasurer.
Mr Boadu said the party would accept only elections conducted under the supervision of the EC.
He explained that the elections would be superintended over by constituency elections committees (CECs), with membership including one national representative appointed by the Steering Committee, who shall be the Chair; one regional representative, appointed by the Regional Executive Committee; the Chairman of the Constituency Council of Elders; the Chairman of the Constituency Council of Patrons; a respected elderly woman appointed by the constituency; the Constituency Research and Elections Officer and the Constituency IT Officer.
The committee, he said, shall determine the venue for the conduct of the elections.
Delegates
Mr Boadu said per Article 7 (27), delegates to the constituency conference shall include members of the Constituency Executive Committee, all Electoral Area Coordinators, all five Polling Station Executives from all polling stations in the constituency, five members of the Constituency Council of Elders, five members of the Constituency Council of Patrons and any NPP Founder Member from the constituency.
He said the presence of at least one-third of the delegates from the constituency shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the conference.
Source: Graphic
